Horse owners are urged to be vigilant, ensure vaccinations are up to date and report any new outbreaks of equine flu after a “marked increase in activity”.
The equine infectious disease surveillance (EIDS) team at Cambridge Vet School told H&H it is continuing to report cases and outbreaks; equine flu has been reported from 14 different locations in 11 English counties in the three weeks since the beginning of April.
“This is a marked increase in flu activity compared to the first three months of 2026, when the group were made aware of only two equine flu outbreaks,” an EIDS spokesperson said.
EIDS issued an alert on 10 April, of a “sudden rise in equine influenza outbreaks detected in the UK this month”.
The six cases recorded at that point were in six counties, five were in horses who had recently arrived; three from Europe including Ireland and the Netherlands.
By 17 April, nine cases had been reported in total; the EIDS team said: “A steady rise in diagnosed outbreaks is evident over the first three weeks of April indicating accelerating transmission. Although the fourth week currently shows fewer cases, this likely reflects reporting delays, and early indications suggest the upward trend may continue.”
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EIDS keeps its website updated and horse owners can check cases nationally or by area; the counties in which cases have been reported since 1 April are Berkshire (one), Cambridgeshire (two), Gloucestershire (one), Hampshire (two), Kent (two), Lincolnshire, Shropshire, Suffolk, Surrey and Warwickshire (one in each) and North Yorkshire (one).
The two Kent cases were on the same premises and although the two North Yorkshire cases were reported nearly three weeks apart, they were confirmed a week apart.
It is too early to determine whether this week’s reports indicate a further increase in cases as there is always a delay in reporting owing to the time for owners to call the vet, the disease to be diagnosed and the report made.
But “EIDS continue to urge vigilance and encourage horse owners and vets to investigate signs of respiratory disease in the horses under their care and in particular to promptly report to us when they have positive diagnoses of equine influenza (or other infections such as equine herpes virus) so we can continue to monitor progression of spread in the UK,” the spokesperson said.
Owners with concerns about flu are advised to contact the vet; vets with concerns about suspected or confirmed cases can call the EIDS advice line on 01223 766496.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
