Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2008/January 2009 | Page 84

life

EQUESTRIAN - Sponsored by Brickfields and Froghill Tack

Photograph courtesy of Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright

What is African Horse
Sickness (AHS)?
AHS is the most devastating
horse disease on the planet.
Up to 90% of infected horses
die. So far, the disease has
been largely confined to Africa
but climate change, increased
winds and higher summer
temperatures mean that it
could now be possible for the
disease to spread to and thrive
in Northern Europe, including
Britain.
AHS is related to the
Bluetongue virus found in
sheep and cattle. It is carried
and transmitted to horses
by the Culicoides family of
midges, which are the most
common midge in Britain and
are also responsible for causing

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sweet itch. So far, AHS has
not been seen in this country
but the infection of cattle and
sheep with Bluetongue virus
causes concern that AHS could
also spread if it arrived in the
UK.
Once a horse has been
bitten by a carrier midge, the
incubation period of AHS is
usually 7 – 14 days but may be
as short as two. Although AHS
is not directly contagious (not
transmitted directly between
horses), it can remain in
infected horses for a few weeks
enabling it to be transferred
via blood-sucking midges or
even contaminated hypodermic
needles. There is no effective
treatment.

The Mad
Control
of Hatter’s
AHS Tea Party
AHS is included in the
Infectious Diseases of Horses
Order 1987 and the Specified
Diseases (Notification &
Slaughter) Order 1992. Any
suspicion of the disease must
be reported by the horse owner
or vet to Defra which will
implement control regulations.
Current European legislation
specifies that AHS must be
controlled by the slaughter of
infected animals, destruction
of the carcasses and the
establishment of a protection
zone of at last 100 kilometres
radius around infected
premises. Because virus
movement over long distances
via windborne infected midges
has been suggested, a further
surveillance zone of at least

another 50 kilometres (150 km
total) would remain in force
for 12 months
at Teeth
a minimum.
Shark’s

Vaccination
Vaccination is available in
Africa where they use a
modified version of a live
vaccine but none of these
vaccines are approved for
use in the EU. Live vaccines
are unsuitable for Europe
where we want to eradicate
infection because there is no
means of differentiating a
vaccinated horse from one
exposed to infection! Work is
being undertaken by research
institutes to develop a safe and
effective vaccine but this has
not yet resulted in products
with commercial licences.
Insecticides, repellents

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