Bulgaria reports bluetongue disease outbreak on sheep farm

PARIS (Reuters) -Bulgaria has reported an outbreak of bluetongue disease on a sheep farm in the south of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on Monday, the latest appearance of the virus, which is spreading in Europe.

One animal was affected by the serotype 8 of bluetongue in a flock of 323 sheep on the farm in the district of Devin, the organisation said in a notice, citing information from the Bulgarian authorities.

Bulgaria previously reported that two sheep had fallen sick with serotype-8 bluetongue at the end of July in a backyard flock in a remote southwestern area near the border with North Macedonia.

Bluetongue can be deadly for domestic ruminants such as sheep, cattle and goats, though it does not affect humans or the safety of animal meat or milk.

The rapid spread of certain strains of the disease in the past year has led some countries, including France, to undertake vaccination campaigns.

(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Joe Bavier)