24 March, 2026

Preparedness for vector-borne diseases in the Nordic countries: towards greater coordination and joint initiatives in the face of future threats

Vector-borne disease preparedness in the Nordics: greater coordination between countries and joint initiatives are needed to face future threats.

This is the conclusion of the workshop in which Syva participated at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute on March 18–19.

The aim of the workshop, “Improving knowledge of midge-borne diseases – a Nordic focus”, was to enhance preparedness for midge-borne diseases in the context of climate change and emerging threats in the Nordic region, and to contribute to a report for EOHA (European One Health Association).

The first day, entitled “Looking back – What happened and what did we learn from the BTV outbreaks?”, brought together various experts who shared their knowledge and experience of recent bluetongue episodes in Europe and the Nordic countries.

Topics included:

Current dynamics of AHSV, BTV and EHDV: Europe’s evolving epidemiological landscape
How Denmark, Norway and Sweden responded to BTV-3, and key lessons learned
Research conducted during Nordic BTV outbreaks, including:
o Vertical transmission in Norwegian cattle
o The Swedish National Postmortem Program
o A new surveillance program for Orbiviruses in wild ruminants in Denmark
o Bulk milk serology in dairy cattle
o Temperature thresholds for disease emergence
o BTV transmission intensity on Danish farms in 2008, 2024 and 2025

The second day focused on long-term perspectives and how environmental changes may affect the risk of midge-borne diseases.

Topics included:

A One Health perspective on changing ecological dynamics in Fennoscandia and reindeer herding
Beyond clinical judgement: detecting and managing animal disease outbreaks in veterinary practice
The SILAM pollen dispersion model applied to midge dispersal in Finland
Schmallenberg virus in Germany, from emergence to enzootic circulation – insights from midge and wildlife surveillance
EHDV: patterns of emergence, extinction and establishment

Breakout sessions addressed midge-borne disease preparedness, exploring what can be done to better anticipate and respond to future outbreaks.

This workshop once again highlighted the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing to stay ahead of emerging vector-borne threats. At Syva, we are proud to contribute to these discussions and to support a proactive approach that helps anticipate, understand and control future outbreaks more effectively.

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