Cold weather should help eliminate bluetongue disease

Sheep producers in the Big Horn Basin and surrounding areas are urged to closely monitor their flocks for bluetongue, an infectious disease due to a potentially fatal virus. An outbreak of bluetongue this fall has killed more than 300 sheep in the Worland, Otto, Basin and Greybull areas of the Big Horn Basin and led to sickness in hundreds of other sheep.

The virus also killed pronghorn antelope, white-tailed deer and mule deer in the Big Horn Basin as well as antelope and mule deer in the Cody, Sinclair and Douglas areas. The disease is also present in southern Montana.

http://www.theprairiestar.com/articles/2007/11/23/ag_news/livestock/cattle15.txt http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/fsheet_faq_notice/fs_ahbluetongue.html