Laboratory tests confirmed the cases, which arose late last month, and Gerlin Järvela, head of animal health and welfare at the Agriculture and Food Board (PTA), thanked the farmer who informed the authority, which meant "the agency was able to send samples from the herd to a laboratory and rule out foot-and-mouth disease as well as bluetongue disease."

BRSV has been seen in Estonia before, though this particular outbreak was marked by an exceptionally acute and severe course of illness; the livestock had not been vaccinated against the disease.

BRSV, whose signs include lethargy, depression, and a refusal to eat, followed by a high fever, watery eyes, and pneumonia, is not considered highly dangerous in comparison with, for instance, foot-and-mouth disease, whose cases "the agency will notify the public [about] without delay and implement the necessary disease-control measures to limit its spread," Järvela added.

Livestock owners should in any case closely monitor the health of their herds and consult a vet if animals become ill; a total of 18 adult heifers and cows died as a result of the Pärnu County BRSV outbreak.

BRSV is a pneumovirus closely related to human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and is a common cause of respiratory disease in cattle, particularly calves.

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