Bluetongue Disease in Mallorca: Over 5,000 Animals Vaccinated

Farmers battle the outbreak: Bluetongue disease is spreading

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It's not a pleasant topic for a café conversation, but sadly the reality: Bluetongue disease is increasing in Mallorca. In recent weeks, ten outbreaks of the new serotype 3 have been confirmed – hotspots are the areas around Bunyola, Alaró and Palma. To curb the virus, more than 5,000 animals have now been vaccinated.

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What the situation on the ground looks like

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I was there Friday morning around 7:30 a.m. at a small farm near Bunyola. Fog hung over the olive trees; the farmer, named Joan, led a handful of sheep to the barn and shook his head: Some are coughing, others have a fever. We are trying to vaccinate what we can get. Such impressions are matched with the numbers: in the authorities' containment protocol, mainly sheep and goats are recorded, but there have also been individual cattle cases reported.

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The disease is not dangerous for humans according to current knowledge. For affected animals it can be severe and in some cases fatal. Therefore the government has launched rapid vaccination campaigns and dispatched mobile veterinarians. Still, there is uncertainty: vaccine supply, logistics on narrow mountain roads, and the question of how quickly the serotype will spread further.

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Measures, restrictions and everyday consequences

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At the moment, herd-based controls, restricted animal transports from the affected zones, and increased biosafety measures on farms apply. For markets or traditional livestock shows, restrictions have been announced; some have already been canceled. For small farms this can quickly have financial consequences: lost livestock, veterinary costs, less income – and that in the middle of the season when many are busy with repairs and raising young stock.

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The authorities ask animal owners to be vigilant and to contact a veterinarian immediately if symptoms appear. If you are traveling on rural roads, please keep your distance from pasture fences — not because people can get infected, but to avoid additional stress on the herds. And yes: it's also a matter of neighborly help. Many municipalities are now organizing collective vaccination appointments so that nobody has to drive around alone.

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What is important now

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In the short term: stay calm, report, vaccinate. In the medium term, it must be clarified how vaccination rates can be increased and logistics improved. Farmers also call for financial support if many animals die or have to be transported away. There is a quiet concern on the island that the disease could spread beyond the stalls into mountain pastures — areas that are difficult to monitor.

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I will stay on it and keep asking: to veterinarians, to the municipal administration in Alaró, and to people on the farms. If you are affected or see a worrying case, it's best to note the veterinarian contact, location and date and report the observation. Updates will follow as soon as there are new figures or measures.