Officials detect new bluetongue case in animal that has "travelled through several counties"

Last week, a bovine which had travelled through several counties was confirmed to have bluetongue during a possible infection period following contraction of the disease

The vaccine is for BTV-3 specifically, but other versions of the disease can still cause infection. File picture

Two new cases of bluetongue have been confirmed in Irish livestock.

In a Dáil meeting on Tuesday, minister for agriculture, Martin Heydon, revealed that since the initial discovery of bluetongue (BTV 3) south of the border on January 22, five herds have been flagged with the disease, with a further infection detected as recently as last week in an individual animal that has reportedly travelled through several counties.