Ability to Respond Total:13 / 25Ability to Respond = ( Ease of Response + Tools in Place )
Confidence:Medium
Confidence Notes:
Impact
Spread
Notes
Score
Spread Rate
Spread through biting midges in the genus Culicoides. It can affect sheep, goats, cattle, buffalo, deer, antelope, bighorn sheep, and North American elk. It is not contagious.
3
Spread Amount
Potential to exist in all of California's ecosystems and could potentially infect numerous high-value livestocks populations.
4
Damage
Notes
Score
Ecological
In sheep mortality rate usually between 0-30%. For whitetail deer and pronghorn antelope mobidity rate is 80-90% and the mortality rate is as high as 100%. For cattle, goats, and elk, most infections are asymptomatic and deaths are rare.
3
Agricultural
potentially devastating to a local livestock population.
3
Infrastructure
0
Cultural
0
Health
Bluetongue is not a significant threat to human health. However, one human infection has been documented in a laboratory worker.
0
Benefit
Notes
Score
Ecological
0
Agricultural
0
Infrastructure
0
Cultural
0
Health
0
Total
13
Ability to Respond
Ease of Response
Notes
Score
Detection
Detection seems to be fairly easy, but fairly expensive as well. The problem is that many symptoms of blue tongue (ex. wasting and foot rot) are similar to the symptoms of other diseases, such as foot-and-mouth.
3
Control
Because it is transmitted by insect vector, it is difficult to completely control. Disinfectants cannot prevent the virus from being transmitted between animals; however, where disinfection is warranted, some can be effective for livestock tools.
3
Tools in Place
Notes
Score
Entry
Extremely difficult to stem its entry as it is vector-borne.
1
Control
Once blue tongue is found, California mandates a monthly report on the status of the infected population from a diagnostic facility.
4
Outreach
There does not seem to be that much educational outreach.
