"With only 20% of sheep vaccinated in all of Sardinia, we can only express serious concern about the progress of the Bluetongue control campaign on our island."
Stefano Taras , president of Confagricoltura Sardegna, stated: "In August," he specified, "the vaccination coverage percentage of flocks should have been different, given that, as soon as the circulation of the vector insect is favored by the drop in temperatures and the increase in humidity, usually between late August and early September, the most epidemiologically difficult weeks will begin, until late autumn."
"For this reason," he continued, "we are asking the Health and Agriculture councilors for an urgent meeting: a roundtable discussion to define the next action plans to contain the potential spread of bluetongue."
The organization continues that ongoing vaccinations include serotypes 3, 4, and 8, the nearly thirty variants of the disease registered by international veterinary services. In some areas, serotype 5 is also emerging, for which there are no vaccines. Ensuring coverage, Confagricoltura reports, at least for the known serotypes would, experts have always explained, reduce animal exposure and the consequences of potential infections.
"The opportunity to intervene differently on farms," concluded Stefano Taras, "can be found in the successful management of the 2026 vaccination campaign against lumpy skin disease in cattle , where 70% of Sardinian sheep have already been covered. We still have a few weeks to actively intervene to increase the vaccination rate of the regional sheep population, so as to avoid finding ourselves having to manage more damaging emergencies during the most difficult months."
