Estimation of the economic impact of a bluetongue serotype 4 outbreak in Tunisia

IntroductionSince 1999, Tunisia has experienced multiple occurrences of Bluetongue (BT) outbreaks, leading to numerous reported cases of infection and mortality in flocks. The re-emergence of the disease in 2020 caused substantial economic losses in cattle, attributed to the incursion of serotype BTV-4.MethodsTo evaluate the economic impact of the recent BT episode, we conducted a retrospective study on outbreaks that occurred in Tunisia between August and November 2020, focusing on the impact at the owner’s level and its effects on both small ruminants and cattle. A total of 234 ruminant farms (sheep, cattle, and mixed) were randomly selected across Tunisian governorates and included in the study to estimate both the direct and indirect costs of these outbreaks.ResultsTotal costs were calculated as the sum of losses and expenditures resulting from the BT outbreaks. At the animal level, total losses were estimated to range between 116.280 and 207.086 TND for one infected ewe (€33.721 and 60.055). For one lactating cow, costs varied between 2,590.724 and 3,171.107 TND (€751.310 and 919.621). In cattle, exposure to BTV led to a daily unit milk yield decrease of 12.50 to 14.66 L over an average period of 5 months. Diseased sheep experienced weight loss ranging between 4 and 10 kg during the BT outbreaks. The total mean cost of the 2020 BT outbreak in Tunisian investigated farms was estimated at 1,935 million TND (million €561.15) (range: 1,489 and 2,474 million TND; 431.81 and million €717.46). The most influential costs of the total BT outbreaks were the decrease in milk yield, mortality, and veterinary treatment.DiscussionThis study gives valuable insights on the economic impact of the incursion of a new serotype of BT in a naive population in Tunisia. Considering the substantial costs incurred, it is imperative that this disease receives increased attention from stakeholders, including animal owners, veterinary services, practitioners, and decision-makers

Implementation of the One Health approach to fight arbovirus infections in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Region: Assessing integrated surveillance in Serbia, Tunisia and Georgia

Background In the Mediterranean and Black Sea Region, arbovirus infections are emerging infectious diseases. Their surveillance can benefit from one health inter-sectoral collaboration; however, no standardized methodology exists to study One Health surveillance. Methods We designed a situation analysis study to document how integration of laboratory/clinical human, animal and entomological surveillance of arboviruses was being implemented in the Region. We applied a framework designed to assess three levels of integration: policy/institutional, data collection/data analysis and dissemination. We tested the use of Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) to graphically present evidence of inter-sectoral integration. Results Serbia, Tunisia and Georgia participated in the study. West Nile Virus surveillance was analysed in Serbia and Tunisia, Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever surveillance in Georgia. Our framework enabled a standardized analysis of One Health surveillance integration, and BPMN was easily understandable and conducive to detailed discussions among different actors/institutions. In all countries, we observed integration across sectors and levels except in data collection and data analysis. Data collection was interoperable only in Georgia without integrated analysis. In all countries, surveillance was mainly oriented towards outbreak response, triggered by an index human case. Discussion The three surveillance systems we observed prove that integrated surveillance can be operationalized with a diverse spectrum of options. However, in all countries, the integrated use of data for early warning and inter-sectoral priority setting is pioneeristic. We also noted that early warning before human case occurrence is recurrently not operationally prioritized

Data_Sheet_1_Estimation of the economic impact of a bluetongue serotype 4 outbreak in Tunisia.docx

IntroductionSince 1999, Tunisia has experienced multiple occurrences of Bluetongue (BT) outbreaks, leading to numerous reported cases of infection and mortality in flocks. The re-emergence of the disease in 2020 caused substantial economic losses in cattle, attributed to the incursion of serotype BTV-4.MethodsTo evaluate the economic impact of the recent BT episode, we conducted a retrospective study on outbreaks that occurred in Tunisia between August and November 2020, focusing on the impact at the owner’s level and its effects on both small ruminants and cattle. A total of 234 ruminant farms (sheep, cattle, and mixed) were randomly selected across Tunisian governorates and included in the study to estimate both the direct and indirect costs of these outbreaks.ResultsTotal costs were calculated as the sum of losses and expenditures resulting from the BT outbreaks. At the animal level, total losses were estimated to range between 116.280 and 207.086 TND for one infected ewe (€33.721 and 60.055). For one lactating cow, costs varied between 2,590.724 and 3,171.107 TND (€751.310 and 919.621). In cattle, exposure to BTV led to a daily unit milk yield decrease of 12.50 to 14.66 L over an average period of 5 months. Diseased sheep experienced weight loss ranging between 4 and 10 kg during the BT outbreaks. The total mean cost of the 2020 BT outbreak in Tunisian investigated farms was estimated at 1,935 million TND (million €561.15) (range: 1,489 and 2,474 million TND; 431.81 and million €717.46). The most influential costs of the total BT outbreaks were the decrease in milk yield, mortality, and veterinary treatment.DiscussionThis study gives valuable insights on the economic impact of the incursion of a new serotype of BT in a naive population in Tunisia. Considering the substantial costs incurred, it is imperative that this disease receives increased attention from stakeholders, including animal owners, veterinary services, practitioners, and decision-makers.</p