UK expands livestock controls as bluetongue spreads

LONDON - New cases of livestock disease bluetongue have been confirmed in Essex in eastern England, prompting Britain's farm ministry on Wednesday to expand the area in which it controls animal movements.

"Finding further cases is not unexpected ... and we expect to see more cases before the end of the active midge season this winter," Britain's Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg said in a statement.

Britain's first ever case of bluetongue was reported in Suffolk, eastern England, on Sept. 22.

Landeg confirmed an outbreak of the disease in Britain on Sept. 28 after several subsequent cases of the disease which quickly spread from Suffolk to neighbouring county Essex.

The ministry said there were 34 cases in Britain, as of Tuesday.

The bluetongue virus causes fever and mouth ulcers and in some cases turns an animal's tongue blue. It can be highly dangerous to sheep and cows, although it does not affect humans.