Government and equestrian industry are working together to try to ensure Britain’s herd is protected should African horse sickness (AHS) arrive. But there is a great deal of work to do.

Defra’s exotic disease control team organised a session on 14 May to set out current contingency plans for an outbreak, in Britain or a neighbouring country, and to gather the thoughts of stakeholders from across the industry. One key theme was how to get the right messages to the right people, at the right time.

“While the risk to the UK remains remote, African horse sickness is one of the most impactful animal diseases and is one of four listed in the National Risk Register,” a Defra spokesperson told H&H. “Preparedness is therefore key and this stakeholder meeting was the first in the Government’s disease exercise planning for AHS. Future work will look at disease control measures, vaccination and recovery.”

The Defra control strategy’s aim is to “identify any suspect cases of AHS as quickly as possible, to identify the source of the disease, and to minimise spread of the disease and lead the country back to disease-free status”.

AHS is a midge-borne virus that affects all equids and has a 55–95% mortality rate in horses. It is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa; there have been no recorded cases in Britain, but there are concerns that increasing temperatures will benefit the insects that transmit some exotic diseases.

Bluetongue virus, which wreaks havoc in sheep, and has reestablished itself in northern Europe and was spreading in England last year, is closely related to AHS.

Helen Roberts, policy lead for non-livestock diseases, risk and science at Defra, covered the Government’s strategy. She explained that the most recent countries outside Africa to have AHS are Malaysia and Thailand, within the past five years.

“The Thai outbreak was because of the movement of zebras from South Africa, and the Malaysian one we think was down to the use of vaccine rather than live animal movements,” she said. “So it’s important to remember this can still turn up in countries you don’t expect it to, so we do continue to monitor it. AHS is on our National Risk Register because it would potentially have such a high impact if we have an outbreak in this country.”

Action will also be taken if there is an outbreak close enough in mainland Europe to put the UK at risk, as “plumes” of midges could be carried here by winds. Dr Roberts stressed that alertness and rapid action is key. Measures in the control strategy include visits to premises by official vets, testing, imposing movement restriction zones – which cover up to a 150km radius, so would apply if the disease was in some parts of Europe – and protecting horses from midges as for sweet itch.

Dr Roberts explained that AHS is closely monitored internationally so any increased risk would be reported on the Government website, but that the key is getting the right messaging out.

“We don’t just want to send out a message to everybody saying, ‘This is Government. You need to stop doing this immediately and do this instead,’” she said. “It’s got to show the benefits to people of why we’re wanting to change their behaviour, what barriers there might be to behavioural change and if we can understand that now, we can find the best way to deal with it.”

Stakeholders stressed the importance of consistent messaging and suggested text alerts, local media and devolved government websites as key for a unified message.

Concerns raised by stakeholders included the plausibility of containing semi-feral ponies, such as in the New Forest or on Dartmoor, and the challenges of communicating with their owners when many do not use email, which Dr Roberts said was “exactly the sort of thing we want to raise” in moving the strategy on.

Another key, as pointed out by British Equine Veterinary Association CEO, and British Horse Council chair, David Mountford, is the need to know exactly where horses are in the event of increased risk of disease.

“Let me get on my hobby horse again,” he said. “There is a Central Equine Database which, if enabled properly through a statutory instrument and applied, could be a way to access all registered horse owners via a mobile device or email. That statutory instrument has stalled in Government at the moment, but with it, we can do an awful lot. Without it, we’re severely restricted.

“It’s in place in Canada; you can see it giving the ability to disseminate rapid information, on disease outbreaks, to owners across the territory. Very quickly and very effectively, getting a single message, which we are not able to do. We’re missing out.”

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As midges spread a deadly equine virus through Thailand, Professor Debra Archer MRCVS discusses the risk of a UK outbreak

The strange, sudden death of a racehorse in Thailand in February was the first sign of an unfolding crisis about to hit the country’s horse industry.

Within weeks, multiple cases of sudden equine death and of horses showing abnormal clinical signs were being reported by vets – prompting a full-scale investigation by the Thai animal health authorities. After laboratory testing of blood samples, African horse sickness (AHS) virus was confirmed.

This notifiable disease must be reported to the global authorities, so control measures were immediately put into place. While AHS is common in Africa, it rarely occurs elsewhere. When it does, it has the potential to cause a deadly outbreak – such as that seen in the late 1980s in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. This outbreak is the first in this part of Asia.

AHS is a virus spread by biting midges (Culicoides imicola). Zebra are the main reservoirs of infection in Africa and their implication in the Thai outbreak is under ongoing investigation. While zebra don’t show any signs of disease when infected, they can carry the virus in their bloodstream for up to 40 days.

The disease has a fatality rate as high as 70 to 95% among horses and ponies who are not immune. Donkeys show only mild signs, or none at all; fewer than 10% of them will die.

Swellings around the eyes (known as perioribital oedema) are most characteristic of the clinical signs, which can also include high temperature, loss of appetite, difficulty in breathing and bleeding around the eyes. Horses may die suddenly, however, showing few signs.

A shot of hope

A standardised protocol is in place for control of AHS, and has been implemented in Thailand. This comprises movement restrictions of all equids and a ban on their import or export, along with midge sampling and control, testing of horses and vaccination.

It is vital that vulnerable animals are protected from midge bites. Owners are using insect repellents, avoiding turnout, particularly when midges are most active, and stabling and exercising their horses in midge-proof buildings. Mosquito netting is ineffective, so an even finer mesh must be used with the tiniest of gaps sealed.

At-risk horses in areas close to the outbreak are receiving a vaccine imported from South Africa. This “live” vaccine is not ideal, being a weakened version of the virus itself, but it is immediately available and provides protection from this particular strain of the AHS virus.

Horses must be quarantined immediately afterwards, in case vaccination causes a mild infection, and microchipped so they can be tracked following the outbreak. More than 500 horses in at least six provinces in Thailand have so far died due to AHS.

The outbreak has had a huge impact on the Thai equestrian industry, in addition to the challenges already brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Working ponies and their owners, who rely on tourism, have been particularly affected. The Lampang Pony Welfare Foundation is helping to supply feed and netting to protect these ponies and some of the country’s endangered native breeds.

To donate, visit: lampangponywelfare.org/special-giving

How worried should we be?

The enormity of the Covid-19 pandemic and the outbreak of AHS in Thailand are a warning to us all. New infectious diseases have the potential to appear at any time, and existing diseases may suddenly develop in previously unaffected countries – a risk increased by globalisation and climate change.

While the threat to equids in Europe from AHS remains low, the situation is being monitored by multiple authorities. There are midges here that could spread AHS.

Current EU regulations minimise the chances of an infected equid being imported, but it will be critical that these safeguards remain in place beyond Brexit. Any AHS outbreak in Europe would be a cause for concern, since bluetongue, a similar virus that occurs in cattle and sheep, was spread to the UK by wind-borne midges.

Research into vaccines is ongoing, but the challenge is being able to produce these quickly for the correct AHS virus type. A global effort, creating vaccine banks, may be economically viable if the level of risk increases.

Case study: “They lived in a netted world”

Thai endurance rider Wipawan Pawitayalarp has seen nearly half of the 55 horses at Prutirat R Serireongrith’s The Horses Endurance Stable lose their lives to AHS. Among the fatalities was top prospect Konfirm MI.

“We noticed Konfirm had a very high temperature, of 39.3ºC, so we isolated him,” she says. “He stood for four days, but finally passed away at the end of March. He was a true athlete and a brave warrior – no words can explain the loss.”

After vaccination in April and blood tests to check AHS immunity, the remaining horses recently emerged from their “netted world” to enjoy the fresh air. Wipawan’s 2014 World Equestrian Games ride, Mulawa Angelus, remains in good health.

“We had to keep Angelus in a tight-netted stall until he and the others could leave quarantine,” explains Wipawan. “Very luckily for him, he is one of the survivors.”

Ref Horse & Hound; 18 June 2020

Peter Green MRCVS shares news of an encouraging development in the battle against African horse sickness

African horse sickness (AHS) is a serious, often fatal virus disease of horses in the southern hemisphere, which may well spread to Europe as a result of climate change.

The current live vaccine against AHS is not risk-free: it can revert to its dangerous state and it can cause deformities in foals if pregnant mares are vaccinated. In addition, there is currently no way to distinguish between horses infected with the disease and those that have been vaccinated.

However, scientists in South Africa, where AHS is endemic, have been working hard on this problem with the help of tobacco plants and have just reported some encouraging results.

Plants and animals can suffer diseases caused by the same kinds of germs, since both are composed of cells that share many of the same internal structures. This similarity can be used to great advantage when it comes to tackling animal diseases, such as AHS.

The AHS virus itself is not a complicated structure: it has a core of proteins and several layers of protein capsule. These compounds can be separated.

The scientists took just a few of the proteins and introduced them into a well-known and well-studied plant virus before infecting tobacco plants with this virus. They then harvested the tobacco leaves and were able to extract the AHS proteins, which the plant virus had manufactured as it infected the leaves.

The researchers had used proteins from several strains of AHS and were able to bundle all these up together into what they called ‘virus-like particles’. These were purified, made into a vaccine and tested on horses.

The plant-derived vaccine generated a detectable immunity to AHS in the horses and there were no side effects. This is really encouraging because these virus-like particles are dead proteins and so cannot cause disease.

Although the research is in the early stages, using plants to produce a safe animal vaccine is an exciting prospect.

Reference: Plant-produced chimeric virus-like particles – a new generation vaccine against African horse sickness Rutkowska et al. BMC Veterinary Research (2019) 15:432-447

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African horse sickness (AHS) is a vector-borne viral disease of equidae (horses, ponies, donkeys and zebras).

Vector-borne refers to the fact that the virus can only be spread between horses by the bites of vector insects, in this case Culicoides midges, the same tiny flies that cause sweet itch. The disease is not transmitted by horse-to-horse contact or within inhaled droplets (like flu).

The mortality rate for AHS can be as high as 95% in horses without any immunity. There is no cure for the disease and treatment is aimed at controlling the clinical signs.

If AHS came to the UK, it would have devastating effects on horse welfare and major economic consequences for the industry. Yet how realistic is it that this exotic disease will threaten British horses?

Global changes

An outbreak of AHS requires the presence of certain climatic conditions and specific midge species. These conditions are consistently found in sub-Saharan Africa and the disease occurs there regularly, with outbreaks typically following warm and wet weather, when midge numbers increase.

The furthest north that AHS has occurred is Spain, with the last outbreak ending in 1990. The disease has never hit the UK, which is classified as “AHS disease-free” by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

News headlines have recently reported big changes in the global distribution of vector-borne viral diseases, however, including Zika virus fever in humans and bluetongue disease in livestock.

This is thought to be due to a combination of climate change — which allows new vectors to emerge or old ones to spread — as well as international transport, which allows the spread of the virus itself.

Bluetongue virus is very similar to AHS virus and both can be spread by the same midge species. A major bluetongue outbreak occurred in the UK for the first time in 2007, leading experts to suggest that both appropriate midge species and climatic conditions are now present in this country to support an outbreak of AHS.

Put simply, if it can happen for bluetongue, then why not for AHS?

What’s the risk?

The disease is controlled in South Africa using regular vaccination, however this is not licensed for use in the UK.

The primary focus of AHS control in the UK is on preventing the introduction of the virus in infected equidae. It is thought that the last outbreak in Spain was due to the importation of infected zebras from Namibia to a safari park. Zebras and donkeys can carry AHS without showing signs, putting them at higher risk of introducing the disease to new countries.

The OIE import regulations currently in place for all equidae are extremely stringent and the risk of introducing AHS in legally imported animals is very low. Additionally, AHS is among six diseases for which “high health high performance” (HHP) horses, which often travel internationally to compete, must have additional regular testing.

In theory, it is possible for AHS to reach the UK in an infected midge trapped within a plane. This risk is very difficult to calculate accurately, but is considered extremely low.

If an outbreak occurs in mainland Europe at any time in the future, however, it is possible that infected midges could be blown over to the UK. This almost certainly caused the spread of bluetongue to the UK.

New vaccine hope

British horses have no natural immunity to the AHS virus, so an outbreak among this “naïve” population could be catastrophic.

Preventing midges from biting horses is key to minimising disease risk, yet this is still largely impractical and further research is ongoing. Protection may be on the horizon, however. Researchers worldwide, including scientists at the UK’s Pirbright Institute, are currently working on new and more effective AHS vaccines. It’s vital that owners and vets recognise the signs of AHS and act immediately if infection is suspected. Visit tinyurl.com/africanhorsesickness for more information on what to look for.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 26 May 2016

H&H‘s charity of the year, Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA), has launched a new campaign to try to treat and prevent deadly diseases in working equines.

The charity estimates that thousands of horses and donkeys are dying needlessly every year due to a lack of simple vaccinations and veterinary care.

The appeal is focused around three main diseases — African horse sickness (AHS), tetanus and epizootic lymphangitis (EZL).

EZL is a painful and contagious fungal disease that is affecting up to 30% of Ethiopia’s cart-horse population. Last year SPANA vets treated nearly 800 cases.

Highly infectious AHS is spread by insect bites and, in its acute form, is fatal in around 90% of cases.

Working animals are also particularly vulnerable to tetanus as they are exposed to cuts and scratches. Although the disease is usually fatal for infected animals, it is preventable through vaccination with just two injections.

Jeremy Hulme, chief executive of SPANA, said: “With so many of the diseases threatening working animals, a simple injection really can be the difference between life and death.

“Working animals are vital to many of the world’s poorest people. Their owners often rely completely on these animals — which do the jobs of tractors, trucks and taxis — for their livelihoods, and sometimes survival. By supporting our appeal, you will be helping to protect these animals and the families that depend on them.”

A £9 donation will vaccinate three donkeys against tetanus, £20 will enable the treatment of a horse with EZL and £45 will allow SPANA vets to treat an animal with African Horse Sickness.

> H&H’s Sophia Heath will visit Ethiopia later this month to witness firsthand the work that SPANA vets undertake.

> To donate visit www.spana.org

This news story was first published in H&H magazine (13 November 2014).

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Regulations stating how the Government and horse industry would deal with an outbreak of African Horse Sickness (AHS) in the UK became law on 21 November.

Brigadier Paul Jepson, the chairman of the African Horse Sickness Working Group, has said the robust regulations would help control spread of the disease and avoid control measures that involve mass slaughter.

Compensation up to a maximum of £2,500 will only be paid where suspect horses are killed but subsequently are found not to have the disease.

The regulations can be found at www.legislation.gov.uk

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (6 December 2012)

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Researchers at the Institute for Animal Health in Pirbright, Surrey, have been awarded £680,000 to sequence and study the DNA of a biting midge that is responsible for spreading diseases, including African Horse Sickness (AHS).

Scientists hope this grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council will lead to new ways to control and prevent AHS.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (12 July 2012)

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The threat of African Horse Sickness (AHS) to the UK horse population has not gone away.

And with the discovery of the Schmallenberg virus in Britain in late January it is ever more likely, top vets have told H&H.

AHS kills as many as 90% of those horses it infects, and is spread by the same insect as the Schmallenberg virus – the culicoides midge.

Although Schmallenberg does not affect horses, as H&H went to press it had infected cattle and sheep at 158 farms in south England and the Midlands.

And following cases of bluetongue disease in 2007 – also spread by the culicodes – chances that AHS will eventually hit the UK are increased, say experts.

“Smallenberg and bluetongue have spread from Europe in exactly the same pattern as would occur if AHS were present,” said Paul Jepson, the vet who chairs the government and horse industry’s joint AHS Working Group.

“It shown once again that an outbreak could happen.”

AHS has never occurred in the UK. It is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa and the closest outbreak to the UK happened in Spain and Portugal from 1987-1991.

Defra is due to publish its regulations and disease control strategy document for AHS in the summer, but is ready to roll it out at a moment’s notice if the disease were found in Europe, said Brigadier Jepson.

A vaccine could also be produced within weeks of an outbreak.

Epidemiologist Prof Matt Baylis of Liverpool University said: “Horse owners should start thinking about what they would do if AHS were in the midge population of the UK or Europe.

“Studies have shown that housing stock helps to guard against bluetongue in cattle – we need to see what we can learn from this sort of research.”

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (22 March 2012)

Find an equine vet

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A freely available, affordable vaccine against African Horse Sickness (AHS) could soon be available to protect the UK’s horse population, thanks to an injection of government funding.

AHS is the most devastating equine disease in the world. It is caused by a virus transmitted by insects — known as “vectors” — and kills around 90% of the horses it infects.

AHS has not yet reached the UK, but the arrival of Bluetongue in 2007, which targets ruminants and is transmitted by the same vector, put the equestrian industry on red alert.

There is a vaccine available at present, but it contains a “live” version of the disease and is deemed risky for horses in the UK that have never been exposed to AHS.

“UK experts have advised it should only be used if absolutely necessary and almost certainly only in larger outbreaks,” said a Defra spokesman.

Defra has agreed to plunge £190,000 per year into a three-year project to develop a safe and effective vaccine, which will also be supported by a “large, multinational vaccine manufacturer”.

The Institute for Animal Health in Pirbright, Surrey, is poised to start work on a “next generation” vaccine, led by Professor Peter Mertens, head of the vector-borne diseases programme.

He explained that from this vaccine, “there is no hindrance to diagnosis nor negative affect”.

He could not give a completion date, but added that preliminary work undertaken already has proved “very encouraging”.

Nine different vaccines will be made for the nine AHS variants, and the vaccine manufacturer will produce them for the mass market. It may be possible eventually to produce one vaccine for all nine.

Paul Jepson, of the Horse Trust, leads the joint industry/government AHS working group.

“This takes us a giant step forward to where we want to be,” he told H&H. “Ultimately, the aim is to have such a reliable vaccine that we can almost stop worrying about AHS — which is a real threat and could be absolutely devastating.”

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (17 June, ’10)

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Could information held on the National Equine Database (NED) help stem the spread of an infectious equine disease? That’s what researchers at the Animal Health Trust (AHT) are trying to find out.

The Horserace Betting Levy Board is funding the project looking at ways to control a potential outbreak of African Horse Sickness (AHS) in the UK.

And much of their work will involve scrutinising NED — the register of all Britain’s passported horses — to determine how accurate it is.

NED collects information from all equine passport-issuing organisations in the UK but there are concerns it holds data on dead animals and multiple registrations of horses.

And no one knows how many UK horses don’t have passports.

The AHT project started in January and will run for two years in close collaboration with NED and Defra.

AHT research assistant Charlotte Robin told H&H: “There is currently no up-to-date information regarding the size and distribution of the UK horse population.

“Data needs to be collated and maintained, but the quality needs to be validated.”

Researchers will contact horse owners in at least 10 sample areas to verify if the information on NED is correct.

Dr Madeleine Campbell, president of the British Equine Veterinary Association, told H&H: “AHS is an ongoing, real risk and to have evidence with pragmatic suggestions would be extremely useful.”

And Nick Wallbridge of NED, added: “We believe the research will validate the need for NED in exotic disease control strategy, highlight the need for changes to the type of data collected and show the need to monitor horses imported into the UK.”

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (22 April, ’10)

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Horseowners and equestrian organisations are being invited to have their say on Defra’s draft proposals for the control of a outbreak of African Horse Sickness (AHS) in England.

AHS is a notifiable exotic animal disease that is spread by midge bites. It is endemic in sub-Saharan African and is fatal in 90 per cent of cases.

The last outbreaks of AHS in Europe were in Spain between 1987 and 1990 and were caused by the importation of infected zebras from Africa.

Richard Hopley, of Defra’s equine disease policy team said: “The likelihood of the introduction of AHS virus to the UK via legal trade in horses and other equidae is considered very low.

“However, the outbreak of midge-borne bluetongue disease in farm animals in recent years has demonstrated the potential for insect vector-borne diseases to have unexpected and significant detrimental consequences for the sector and the rural economy.”

He said the government wants to be ready for an outbreak.

AHS has never been found in the UK but an outbreak would bring the horse industry to a standstill, costing many millions of pounds, a report by the horse industry’s AHS working group announced in December.

The proposed regulations provide the Secretary of State with the power to declare a control zone, protection zone and surveillance zone around infected premises.

And they outline the government’s policy regarding culling of affected animals and compensation — which will only be paid for any horse killed which is subsequently shown to be free of the disease.

To comment, go to www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/african-horse-sickness/index.htm

The consultation closes on 11 March.

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If African Horse Sickness (AHS) reaches the UK your horse will not be automatically culled, the government and the horse industry have agreed.

Defra was praised by the equine sector for heeding advice outlined in a study that showed AHS could wipe out at least half of the UK horse industry and cost the country £3.5million in lost revenue if policies outlined in the European directive on AHS were employed.

The government will invite comments on its strategy for dealing with an outbreak — the African Horse Sickness Regulations 2010 — before Christmas, but the British Horse Industry Confederation (BHIC) says it is an excellent example of the government working with the horse industry.

The draft Defra regulations state there would be no mandatory cull of animals on infected premises unless the secretary of state chooses to request it.

The other important concession, said BHIC chairman Professor Tim Morris, is the proposal that some licensed movement of horses could take place within protection zones around infected premises.

“We could keep racing and horse sport going, albeit with extra bureaucracy,” he said.

The horse industry’s AHS working group commissioned a report into the impact an AHS outbreak would have on the horse industry (news, 30 July).

The results, released on 1 December, show racing and horse sport would be the most severely hit if strict movement restrictions were imposed.

Racing makes £3billion and generates £300million in tax each year.

If horses could not travel because of movement restrictions, racing would grind to a halt. Within 18 months to two years the racing industry would collapse, the report surmised.

Similarly, because 30% of the UK’s horses are involved in sports, from eventing to vaulting and reining, horse sport would also collapse within two years.

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (10 December, ’09)

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You have just over a week to tell the team researching the financial and logistical impact of an outbreak of African Horse Sickness in the UK what foot and mouth style movement restrictions would mean for you and your horses.

The results of the review will inform Defra and the horse industry’s contingency plans for if the deadly disease should hit our shores

Agricultural economist Keith Allison, of Reading University, said: “We want to know how you and your horse would be affected if you could not travel away from the area that you normally exercise in for a period of say twelve months and could not take you horse to shows, events or other gatherings.”

He also wants to know what riding disciplines you would normally take part in each year and if a movement restriction would mean you having to sell your horse.

Email your comments to k.allison@reading.ac.uk before 31 August

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The team researching the financial and logistical impact of an outbreak of African Horse Sickness in the UK (news, 30 July) wants H&H readers to help.

Agricultural economist Keith Allison, of Reading University, said: “We want to know how you and your horse would be affected if you could not travel away from the area that you normally exercise in for a period of say twelve months and could not take your horse to shows, events or other gatherings.”

He also wants to know what riding disciplines you would normally take part in each year and if a movement restriction would mean you having to sell your horse.

Email your comments to k.allison@reading.ac.uk. before 31st August

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Research into the financial and logistical impact of an African Horse Sickness (AHS) outbreak has been commissioned by the UK horse industry’s AHS Working Group.

The findings of the £9,000 project, funded by the horse industry, will be used to help raise money for a UK vaccine, to lobby for changes to the EU rules on AHS and to form the basis of a plan the event of an outbreak in this country.

Professor Tim Morris director of equine science and welfare at the British Horseracing Authority, who is part of the group, told H&H: “The EU directive on AHS was last reviewed in 1992.

“At that time the idea was to impose movement restrictions and close everything down but we would now try to keep as much [of the horse industry] open as possible.

“Movement restrictions could cut Newmarket and Lambourn off from the rest of the country which would be a major problem.

“We do not want restrictions that choke the industry and don’t benefit disease control.”

The project will be carried out by agricultural economists at the University of Reading with input from racing, feed and saddlery companies, livery yards and riding schools, equine charities, vets and farriers.

AHS is currently confined to Sub-Saharan Africa but has spread as far north as Morocco and the Middle East. An outbreak in Spain in the late 1980s and early 1990s was probably caused by infected zebras imported from Africa.

Epidemiologist Anthony Wilson, of the Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, puts the cost of a UK AHS outbreak at billions of pounds.

He predicted top breeders would have to build expensive midge-proof stabling as AHS is spread by the culicoides midge, the same one that carries Bluetongue.

There is no vaccine for AHS available in the UK and those from overseas involve a live virus which if used would compromise our AHS-free status and cause great problems to horse imports and exports.

Chris Oura, the head of the AHS reference laboratory at Pirbright, said: “It is very important that we can create a safe vaccine.

“Just one bite from an infected midge is enough to pass AHS to a horse and 90 per cent of horses infected would die.”

The full results of the research will be published by the end of the year.

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (30 July, ’09)

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African horse sickness is a viral disease transmitted by midges (Culicoides spp). As a result of global warming, for the first time in the UK we are seeing the family type of these insects that will act as vectors for spread, if or when the disease arrives here.

What are the symptoms of African horse sickness?

Although it is not infectious – an infected insect is always the intermediate host – African horse sickness is the most feared of all equine diseases.

There are two forms; the pulmonary form is the most lethal and recovery is rare. A very high temperature quickly leads to severe respiratory distress, a frothy discharge from the nose and then death.

The cardiac form results in a more persistent high temperature that gradually leads to swelling of the head, initially above the eyes, but then spreads to the rest of the head and neck. The mortality rate is about 50%, but any haemorrhaging from the eyes and mouth is a poor indicator for survival.

Can African horse sickness be prevented?

Minimising contact with biting insects will play a significant part in control. However, slaughter may be a major part of the African horse sickness disease control programme, as eradication rather than vaccination will be the principal aim.

Insect avoidance measures are the key. Housing horses, especially from dusk to dawn when the insects are most active, together with the use of DEET-based insect repellents, can make a difference.

Action should also be taken to remove the insect breeding sites – for example stagnant water troughs – either by draining them or by the application of larvicides or a thin film of oil that prevents the larvae from breathing.

Can we prepare for the arrival of African horse sickness in the UK?

While the chances of African horse sickness reaching the UK immediately are slim, the risk continues to escalate and it is crucial that we stay vigilant and are well prepared.

The equine industry and veterinary surgeons are now being regularly briefed about the disease and significant steps are being taken to ensure we are prepared when the inevitable occurs, as the consequences for the equine industry of a major outbreak could be devastating.

For the full article on tropical diseases, covering both African horse sickness and West Nile virus, see the current issue of Horse & Hound (16 July, ’09)

EXPERTS are urging all horse owners to take part in a government consultation over plans to introduce an annual “tax” on farm animals — possibly to include horses.

Defra is proposing to set up an independent body of animal health and industry experts to take decisions on animal health issues — for example on future outbreaks of diseases from foot-and-mouth to African horse sickness (AHS).

If it goes ahead, the scheme would start in 2012 and, if horses are included, Defra estimates each animal would cost about £10.50 per year. This sum would be in addition to current passport costs and would contribute towards dealing with exotic diseases.

A Defra spokesman was keen to stress that the plans were in very early stages, saying that although government documents state the fee “could also cover horses and their keepers” it does not mean they will definitely be included.

But she added: “The main rule of thumb remains that all keepers of disease-susceptible species should contribute to the costs of exotic disease control unless there are compelling reasons as to why they should not.”

The British Horse Society (BHS) has cautioned against any further financial burdens being placed on horse owners in the current economic climate unless there were very clear and necessarily reasons for doing so.

BHS director of welfare Mark Weston said: “I would urge all horse owners to take part in the consultation process.”

• The consultation ends in June. Visit: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/foodfarming.htm
• Share your views in the H&H forum or write to h&hletters@ipcmedia.com.

Read this story in full, including opinion from the Horse Trust and BEVA, in the current issue of Horse & Hound (16 April, ’09)

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Advice on spotting signs of African horse sickness (AHS) and how to protect against the insects that carry the disease was launched by Defra at last week’s National Equine Forum.

AHS, caused by a virus transmitted by midges, kills 90% of the horses it infects. Though it has not reached the UK, a group led by the Horse Trust has been working on a plan to tackle the illness should it reach northern Europe.

Speaking at the forum on 31 March, Horse Trust chief executive Paul Jepson said he was delighted with the progress being made on the plan and in producing a new AHS vaccine.

“Merial, who are developing the vaccine, have proved the prototype works — but it’s still a quantum leap from producing a vaccine for general use,” he said.

While an AHS vaccine is currently available it can, in rare cases, infect a horse rather than prevent infection.

Portugal and Spain suffered AHS outbreaks from 1987 to 1990, and although Europe has been clear since, experts are concerned as AHS mirrors bluetongue in its transmission.

• View the African Horse Sickness advice

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (9 April, ’09)

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Tickets are now on sale for a seminar discussing African Horse Sickness (AHS) and West Nile Virus, hosted by the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (TBA) and The Horse Trust.

Emerging Equine Diseases takes place on Monday 23 June at Tattersalls, Park Paddocks, Newmarket, Suffolk (news, 17 April).

Experts from Defra, Pirbright (the government laboratory) and the Animal Health Trust will discuss subjects including disease prevention, insect vectors, the strategy for containment and the development of an AHS vaccine.

Tickets cost £30. To reserve a place go to www.thetba.co.uk or telephone the TBA on 01638 661321.

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The British equine industry has been warned that if African Horse Sickness (AHS) hits the UK, as many as 90% of the horse population could be infected and would be compulsorily slaughtered.

Horse Trust chief executive Brigadier Paul Jepson issued the stark warning at the annual National Equine Forum on 27 March.

But no compensation would be given to owners, from insurance companies or the government, added Brig Jepson, who leads the UK’s AHS working party, made up of Defra, industry figures and disease experts.

As a tide of concern grows about the possibility of the disease reaching Britain, The Horse Trust and the British Horse Society (BHS) released a leaflet at the Forum outlining the risks and symptoms of AHS and what to do if it is found.

“Under EU law compensation has to be paid to owners if compulsory slaughter takes place,” explained vet Brigadier Jepson, “but in the past the government has introduced a flat rate of £1 to get around this.”

He added that minister for the horse Jonathon Shaw has confirmed horse owners would only be given £1 compensation by Defra — no matter how valuable the animal concerned.

AHS is spread by the same midge that carries Bluetongue (the culicoides) which affected British cattle and sheep for the first time last September.

The affected animals were destroyed by Defra vets but Bluetongue is now officially circulating in the UK and movement restrictions are still in place.

Now the AHS working group is in talks with insurance house Lloyds to see if an insurance scheme can be created after concerns that owners may hide an AHS death in an attempt to claim on their insurance policy.

Dr Richard Newton of the Animal Health Trust said: “If AHS should arrive in the UK it would be a pretty doomsday-type scenario. That’s why the horse industry, Defra and ourselves are taking it very seriously.

“Thankfully it is pretty much confined to sub-Saharan Africa but we have an entirely susceptible horse population and if the midges here became infected it could spread very quickly and the figures are that it could affect up to 90 per cent of horses.”

Read this story in full in Horse & Hound (17 April, ’08)

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African Horse Sickness

What is it? Viral infection transmitted by midges affecting heart and lungs. Infections can be acute, with animals dying suddenly without signs. Mortality rate up to 90%

Signs: fever, respiratory or circulatory distress, loss of appetite, excessive salivation

Where is it? Endemic in Africa, but hasn’t been seen in Europe since 1990, when it arrived in Spain via infected zebras. It has never been diagnosed in Britain

West Nile Virus

What is it? Viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes, causing inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Mortality rate is about 35% in horses which show signs, but the ratio of clinical to sub-clinical cases is 1:2.5-1:5. Humans can be infected, not from horses but via mosquito bites

Signs: fever, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) with nervous signs

Where is it? Africa, Europe, Asia, and — since 1999 — America, where it is now endemic. It has never been diagnosed in horses in Britain

• Read H&H’s full report on the exotic equine disease threat currently facing horse owners in the current issue (15 November, ’07)

Britain’s £3.4 billion equine industry is being put at risk by climate change. African Horse Sickness (AHS), a deadly virus carried by midges, is spreading due to warmer, windier weather. It poses a threat to horses and ponies in northern Europe, warns the Horse Trust.

At an awareness launch today, the Trust’s chief executive and resident vet Paul Jepson called on the government to develop contingency plans and support research into the prevention and control of African Horse Sickness in the UK.

“This is not a scare, this is a reality that we must stand up to,” he said.

African Horse Sickness is a viral infection which proves fatal in 90% of cases. Symptoms include fever, sweating, lack of energy and excessive salivation. The incubation period is usually 7-14 days but an infected horse can go from appearing healthy to dead within four hours.

In the 1950s an epidemic of AHS in India led to the death of around 800,000 equines and there have been outbreaks in Spain in the mid 1960s, 1988-90 and 1989.

Professor Philip Mellor, from the Institute of Animal Health explained: “The warmer it gets the easier it is for midges to transfer the virus. And although their flight range is very short, they can be transported on the wind for up to 100km.”

Vigorous slaughter policies and vaccines would be the only way to control AHS in the UK. A protected zone of at least 100km would be necessary around the infected area together with a surveillance zone of a further 50km. Both would need to be put in place for at least 12 months due to the windborne nature of the virus. The Trust says movement restrictions to and from the UK would have to remain in place for two years.

The British Equestrian Veterinary Association (BEVA), the Institute of Animal Health Pirbright Laboratory and Cambridge University are working together to research the disease and assess the likely impact of an AHS outbreak on the UK equine industry. The Horse Trust is advising horse owners not to panic but is calling on the government to devise contingency plans and support the ongoing research.

“We have no modern control available for this disease,” said Dr James Wood, director of the Cambridge Infectious Disease Consortium (CIDC). “We need to kick start an awareness campaign and get people thinking.”

Paul Jepson said: “This is a serious and potentially devastating problem. We have got to get abreast of the situation.”

• The Horse Trust
• British Equestrian Veterinary Association
• Cambridge Infectious Disease Consortium
• 
  Institute for Animal Health

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