site.btaNearly 5 Million Vaccines against Bluetongue Disease Required

Karlovo, Central Bulgaria, August 22 (BTA) - Some 5 million doses of vaccines against the outbreak of bluetongue in Bulgaria will be required, the Deputy Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, Dr. Radoslav Karabadzhakov, said for BTA Friday. Their supply will be agreed with the European Commission at a meeting scheduled for September 3, while the vaccination itself should begin by the end of the same month
after a public procurement procedure.
 
One dose of the vaccine costs 0.55 euro, which means that the total sum for the vaccination of small and large ruminants in Bulgaria is about 5.5 million leva. Half of the funds should come from the national budget and the other half will be covered by the European Commission, Karabadzhakov said.
 
The September vaccination will be applied to animals that have not been infected and then all small and large ruminants will be vaccinated next spring.
 
To date 3,074 animals have died of bluetongue in Bulgaria. The largest hotspots of bluetongue outbreak are in the regions of Kurdzhali, Haskovo, Sliven, Plovdiv, Bourgas and Yambol.
 
The famers will be compensated with a sum of 150 to 250 leva per dead animal and they will also receive compensations for indirect losses.
 
There is currently an ongoing procedure for supply of diagnostic equipment to test the blood samples of the animals, Karabadzhakov said.
 
The incinerators in Bulgaria are working full-time for the disposal of the dead animals and mayors have been instructed to designate sites for their burial.