Plauen (dpa / sn) – The cattle disease broke out in the Vogtland. “There are currently increased losses of cattle in several companies. The events are dramatic. The cattle die in a very short time after the symptoms appear,” said the district office in Plauen on Monday. The disease – also called pasteurellosis – is not dangerous for humans. It is neither subject to notification nor to notification in Germany. Cattle under the age of two are predominantly affected. How many animals have already died from the disease remains unclear.
According to the district office, affected animals show sudden depression, a lack of movement and appetite, as well as high fever and heavy salivation. Bloody diarrhea, bloody nasal discharge, subcutaneous edema, coughing and shortness of breath could also occur and would usually lead to death within 24 to 48 hours. The cattle of the Vogtland farms were on the pasture at the time of the infection.
It is assumed that the disease can be spread by biting insects, it said. Insects were sent to the State Research Institute for Health and Veterinary Affairs for the purpose of detecting the pathogen. Pet owners should report losses to the district office. The production of a specific vaccine is already underway.
According to the district office, a herd of young cattle from a Vogtland dairy farm was already affected by significant losses in November 2021. The current events were preceded by outbreaks in the western Erzgebirge district. Individual outbreaks with a regionally limited character are characteristic of the epidemic. Sheep, goats, buffalo, zebu, bison, pigs and some wild species are also susceptible animal species.