Cases of Blue Tongue Disease Have Quadrupled in the UK

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), 2,579 cases have been recorded in England so far during the 2026-27 bluetongue disease season, which runs from 1 July to 30 June next year.

In just three months, this season's bluetongue disease outbreak has recorded four times more cases than the previous three seasons combined. According to government data, England recorded 348 cases in the 2025-26 season, 163 in the 2024-25 season and 126 in the 2023-24 season.

IT DOES NOT INFECT HUMANS

While the virus was reported to affect sheep, cattle and other ruminant animals, common symptoms included fever, lameness, mouth sores and swelling of the head or tongue. It was also added that severe infections can cause bruising of the tongue, respiratory problems, miscarriages, stillbirths and even death.

It was emphasized that the specified virus type does not infect humans and does not pose a risk to food safety. Blue tongue disease, which was first detected in Africa, has now spread to Southern, Central and Northern Europe.

INCREASING TEMPERATURES INCREASE THE SPREAD

According to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), rising temperatures are helping to expand the range and season of transmission of mosquitoes carrying the virus.

From the Pirbright Institute, Dr. "In essence, mosquitoes become active earlier and continue their activities until later in the year. This means that the gap between transmission seasons has actually decreased, allowing the virus to more easily survive the winter months," Christopher Sanders wrote in his article on a previous outbreak published on WOAH.

INSECT-BORNE THREATS ARE ACTIVE

The bluetongue disease outbreak comes at a time when livestock producers across the Atlantic are facing another insect-borne threat.