DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE SANIDAD DE LA PRODUCCIÓN AGRARIA MINISTERIO DE AGRICULTURA, PESCA Y SUBDIRECCIÓN GENERAL ALIMENTACIÓN DE SANIDAD E HIGIENE ANIMAL Y TRAZABILIDAD REPORT ON THE FREEDOM DECLARATION OF THE BLUETONGUE VIRUS SEROTYPE 1 AND 4 ON THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AREA OF SPAIN MAINLAND January 2020 Subdirección General de Sanidad e Higiene Animal y Trazabilidad Dirección General de Sanidad de la Producción Agraria MAPA- ESPAÑA 1) INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to provide the Commission with information demonstrating the absence of BTV-4 circulation in the regions of Azuaga, Castuera, Don Benito, Herrera del Duque, Mérida and Zafra in the province of Badajoz and in the regions of Cáceres, Logrosán (Zorita), Navalmoral de la Mata, Plasencia and Trujillo in the province of Cáceres (Autonomous Community of Extremadura); in the regions of Arenas de San Pedro, Candeleda, El Barco de Ávila and Sotillo de la Adrada in the province of Ávila (Autonomous Community of Castilla y León); in the provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real; in the regions of Alcaraz, Balazore, Elche de la Sierra, Villarrobledo and Yeste in the province of Albacete (Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha); in the regions of Alcalá la Real (Montes Occidentales), Beas de Segura (Sierra Segura), Cazorla (Sierra de Cazorla), Huelma (Sierra Mágina), Jaén (Campiña de Jaén), Linares (Sierra Morena/Campiña de Jaén), Santiesteban del Puerto (El Condado) and Úbeda (La Loma) in the province of Jaén; in the region of Aracena (Sierra Oriental) in the province of Huelva and in the region of Cazalla de la Sierra (Sierra Norte) in the province of Sevilla (Autonomous Community of Andalucía). There is also information provided to demonstrate the absence of BTV-1 circulation in the province of Badajoz (Autonomous Community of Extremadura); and in the regions of Alcalá la Real (Montes Occidentales), Beas de Segura (Sierra Segura), Cazorla (Sierra de Cazorla), Huelma (Sierra Mágina), Jaén (Campiña de Jaén), Linares (Sierra Morena/Campiña de Jaén), Santiesteban del Puerto (El Condado) and Úbeda (La Loma) in the province of Jaén; in the region of Aracena (Sierra Oriental) in the province of Huelva and in the region of Cazalla de la Sierra (Sierra Norte) in the province of Sevilla (Autonomous Community of Andalucía). The objective is to declare these territories as free of BTV-1 and 4 and in accordance with the requirement of absence of viral circulation for two vector activity seasons set out in point 2 of Article 6 of Regulation 1266/2007, of 26 October 2007, as well as surveillance requirements established in Annex I of the above mentioned regulation. 2) BLUETONGUE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION IN SPAIN The first virus incursion in Spain, since the fifties, was in 2000, when serotype 2 was notified in the Autonomous Community of Islas Baleares. As a consequence of the detection in 2000 of serotype 2, a national eradication and surveillance programme was implemented in Spain in order to early detect any further circulation of the BTV and to eradicate it by vaccination of ovine animals with attenuated vaccine. The afore- mentioned programme successfully led to the eradication of serotype 2 in 2002. Since 2002 three BTV serotypes have been detected in Spain: BTV-1: It has its origin in Northern Africa and was detected for the first time in Spain in July 2007. Currently, the south-western part of the Spanish mainland is restricted zone for this serotype. 2 BTV-4: It was also sourced from Northern Africa and was first detected in November 2003 in Menorca island. At present the south-west of the Spanish mainland is restricted zone for this serotype. BTV 8: It was sourced from Netherlands and it spread all over Europe. It was first detected in Spain in January 2008. Spain recovered its free status for this serotype in January 2013. The following table summarizes the BTV outbreaks reported of serotypes 1 and 4 up to 2014. Table 1: Comparison between the numbers of outbreaks of serotype 1 and 4 up to 2014. BTV-1 AND 4 EVOLUTION SINCE 2015 In 2015, a restricted zone was established for serotype 4 and serotypes 1-4 in the south- west of the Spanish mainland, and the rest of the national territory was a bluetongue- free zone (see map 1). 3 Map 1: Restricted zones in June 2015. From 2015-2016 onwards, four consecutive vaccination campaigns were established in the restricted zones by means of Orden AAA/1424/2015, which led to a reduction in the total number of outbreaks in 2015-2016 of both serotypes (see map 2): - 11 BTV-4 outbreaks in the provinces of Albacete, Cádiz, Jaén and Córdoba. - 9 BTV-1 outbreaks in the provinces of Cádiz, Córdoba, Huelva and Sevilla. Map 2: Bluetongue outbreaks during 2015-2016 season. 4 In 2015-2016 season, due to the location of the outbreaks, it was necessary to extend the restricted zone for S4 to the whole province of Jaén, and new regions in the province of Albacete, where an emergency vaccination was also developed. In addition, regions in Extremadura that did not have compulsory vaccination against BTV-1 were included in the restricted zone (see map 3). Map 3: Restricted zones since January 2016. The high vaccination coverage drastically reduced the number of BTV-4 outbreaks compared to previous years (more than 97%), as well as the number of affected provinces that went from 9 to 4, 3 of them in Andalucía and 1 in the southeast part of Castilla-La Mancha (see graphic 2). 2500000 450 400 2000000 350 300 1500000 250 200 1000000 150 500000 100 50 0 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016* Bovinos en zona de restricción Bovinos vacunados S4 Focos por temporada Graphic 2: BTV-4 outbreaks /number of vaccinated animals. 5 The effect of the vaccination campaign was maintained in the following season (2016- 2017), where no BTV-4 outbreaks were reported in the country. With regard to BTV-1, in 2016-2017 season, a total of 19 outbreaks were detected, all of them in restricted areas of Andalucía, Badajoz and Ciudad Real (see map 4). Map 4: BTV outbreaks in 2016-2017 season. In 2017-2018 season, there were 4 outbreaks of S4 in Cádiz and Huelva provinces and 6 outbreaks of S1 in Cádiz and Jaén provinces (see map 5), all in sentinel farms and therefore not vaccinated due to the surveillance programme in force. Map 5: BTV outbreaks in 2017-2018 season. 6 During the previous season (2018-2019), a total of 14 BTV-4 outbreaks have been reported in Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga and Sevilla provinces (all in Andalucía) and no BTV- 1 outbreaks have been reported (see map 6). All outbreaks were in sentinel farms and therefore in not vaccinated animals. Map 6: BTV outbreaks in the current 2018-2019 season. During the actual season (2019-2020), no outbreaks neither BTV-4 nor BTV-1 have been reported in Spain. The following graphic represents an evolution summary of the outbreaks reported for both serotypes from 2014-2015 season until now: 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 2014 - 2015 2015 - 2016 2016 - 2017 2017 - 2018 2018 - 2019 2019 - 2020 Serotipo 1 13 9 19 6 0 0 Serotipo 4 397 11 0 6 14 0 Serotipo 1 Serotipo 4 Graphic 3: Comparision of outbreaks by serotype and season. 7 We can therefore assert: No BTV-4 outbreaks have been reported since 2014 in Azuaga, Castuera, Don Benito, Herrera del Duque, Mérida, neither in Zafra in the province of Badajoz (Extremadura). BTV-4 outbreaks have never been reported in the region of Plasencia; and outbreaks have not been reported since 2014-2015 vectorial activity season in the regions of Cáceres, Logrosán (Zorita), Navalmoral de la Mata and Trujillo, all of them belonging to the province of Cáceres (Extremadura). BTV-4 outbreaks have never been reported in the regions of Arenas de San Pedro, Candeleda, El Barco de Ávila and Sotillo de la Adrada in the province of Ávila (Castilla y León). In the province of Toledo (Castilla-La Mancha) BTV-4 outbreaks have been reported in just one region (Belvís de la Jara) and the last notification was in 2014. We have the same situation in the province of Ciudad Real (Castilla-La Mancha), where BTV-4 outbreaks were just reported in 3 regions (Almadén, Almodóvar del Campo and Piedrabuena) and the last notification in all those regions was also in 2014. BTV-4 outbreaks have never been reported in the regions of Balazote, Elche de la Sierra, Villarrobledo and Yeste; and the last outbreak notified in the region of Alcaraz, all of them in the province of Albacete (Castilla-La Mancha), was in 2015. BTV-4 outbreaks have never been reported in five of the nine regions of the province of Jaén (Andalucía), and the last outbreaks reported were in 2015 in the regions of Linares (Sierra Morena/Campiña de Jaén) and Beas de Segura (Sierra Segura), and in 2014 in the region of Úbeda (La Loma). Futhermore, BTV-4 outbreak have never been reported in the region of Aracena (Sierra Oriental) in Huelva, and the last notification in Cazalla de la Sierra (Sierra Norte) in Sevilla was in 2014. BTV-1 outbreaks have never been reported in the region in Zafra, and no outbreaks have been reported since 2009 in the region of Badajoz and since 2016 in the regions of Azuaga, Castuera, Don Benito, Herrera del Duque, Jerez de los Caballeros and Mérida, all located in Badajoz (Extremadura). BTV-1 outbreaks have never been reported in six of the nine regions of the province of Jaén (Andalucía), and the last outbreak reported in Santiesteban del Puerto (El Condado) was in 2010, and in Linares (Sierra Morena/Campiña de Jaén) was in 2017.