African Horse Sickness--are we ready?

Cuffey

Cuffey

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Quote
''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. ''

PLEASE READ the comments under the H&H article posted by SA horse owners

The article says a vaccine could be produced in 6 weeks.
That is a NEW vaccine not the one currently used in South Africa

The 50year old vaccine currently in use takes THREE seasons of boosters before it is effective so many of the deaths are in young horses.

It takes 6 weeks for a horse to build any kind of immunity to AHS.

PLEASE READ about the outbreaks and current studies in SA--you will be shocked at the number of cases
http://www.ahsequilink.co.za/

IF a NEW VACCINE can be produced in 6 weeks for an outbreak in Europe please ask WHY this is not being done NOW to save horses in SA
 
We are so not ready :(

I posted a couple of months ago on this very subject, no one seemed to know what I was talking about and one poster actually more or less called me a troll (although she subsequently apologised), it is a when and not an if now and we are sitting ducks :(
 
Jackson said:
I don't understand why more is not happening about this. Whenever it is mentioned, it seems to get ignored?
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As always it is about supply and demand the same with EIA and heartworm in dogs which we are also at great risk of, put simply if there is a big enough demand for the vaccine the veterinary profession will supply it, but as we know we are a complacent lot and we will probably not demand until they are here and it is big news!!!
 
Thanks KarynK

My concern-- there is a need for this vaccine NOW in South Africa
To have it being used in SA means it really would be ready if needed in the EU

Having gone through FMD in 2001 and had the heartbreak of my sheep being killed as part of the ''firebreak'' I would not want this kind of solution to an AHS outbreak.

In SA AHS cases are nursed and some survive, that would not be the practice here.
 
Comment from the TBA Chairman Kirsten Rausing:

http://www.ownerbreeder.co.uk/2012/04/board-members-sought-to-help-safeguard-our-future/

''There are many challenges ahead. The work of the government and the EU, particularly with regard to rural policies, requires continued vigilance and effort in support of recruiting and retaining our members which is always challenging. Veterinary concerns will always be uppermost in our minds, and emerging diseases which may have the potential to threaten our stock, not least the potential concerns highlighted by the Schmallenberg virus and the seeming breakdown of the African Horse Sickness vaccine involved in a deadly outbreak in South Africa’s neighbour, Swaziland, need to be carefully monitored. ''

Yet another indication that the new vaccine is needed NOW

Report on Swaziland case
http://web.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=11824
 
I completely and utterly agree with You 100% that a vaccine is needed NOW- This county is NOT prepared for an outbreak at all.

I had to study AHS as part of my college course years ago and I stated then that UK is not ready and that work should have started then (about 9/10 years ago now)

But- who is going to pay?
 
Purple Duck said:
I completely and utterly agree with You 100% that a vaccine is needed NOW- This county is NOT prepared for an outbreak at all.

I had to study AHS as part of my college course years ago and I stated then that UK is not ready and that work should have started then (about 9/10 years ago now)

But- who is going to pay?
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Who foots the bill--that could well be the sticky point

But surely to reduce the spread of disease in SA reduces the risk of it ever getting into the EU which must be a win win situation.

I understand the SA Gov used to pay for working horses to be vacc, that stopped I think around 1995. In 2001-02 there was a huge outbreak with possibly 3000 working horses dead. Horses poorer families depended on for a living.
 
They've been saying this in SA for ages - that it's likely to 'migrate'. I agree, we need a vaccine over here. We have one, but not an effective one.

The problem though, cuffey, is that a lot of people don't vaccinate in SA. All competitive horses have to be vaccinated and have a vet sign, so that's ok. Plenty of people with pleasure horses etc do vaccinate at home (vaccines are quite cheap), but there are many more who don't. Those who have horses on the farms or in fields but are not overly concerned about welfare etc, often haven't vaccinated.

The other problem is that cattle are carriers of AHS, so are zebras, but they are often symptomless carriers.

The one thing you do have going is that it normally stops at the first frost of the year...which is much earlier in the UK than here.

Horrible, horrible disease :( I hate AHS season, every year...some years it's a massive outbreak and everybody is just constantly worrying that they'll go up one day and the horse will be fine and the next day he'll be dead. :(
 
Posted today on AHS group on Facebook

''lost a 8month old colt last week while on holiday. He had the mixed form, lived not even through the night... the blood result showed that he died of strain number 4.
I so hope AHS is over now, lost 3youngsters this season....and that is it!:
Shoshonestud is officially closed! No more breeding..''

This could be us in UK if we do not prepare NOW
 
Id never even heard about this until today.

It saddens me that not more is being done and if we can get a successful vaccine here, then why is it not being enforced in SA, as prevention is better than cure?
 
No we're not ready in the slightest for any midge-borne disease.

I recently covered this in Current Issues at university, and it really is scary. From what I understand, they are reluctant to use the vaccine on a widespread basis and would prefer to keep areas endemic (with a high immunity level) so the disease is secured in one place. (I can't see that being logical myself as the midges themselves aren't contained!)

True though it is that the vaccines are effective, there are also 9 serotypes of AHS and each vaccine only covers one serotype. I can also see it being overused therefore causing resistance and orbiviruses (AHS virus) are incredibly adaptive and quick to mutate. Now, I know given the choice I'd vaccinate, but its not always the most sensible answer unfortunately.

Donkeys are a very susceptible carrier but show no symptoms - it can also be transmitted by infected horsemeat so carnivores such as dogs can also be infected.

I think the government as it stands don't have anywhere near enough knowledge to tackle it should (when) it become a problem in the UK.
K x
 
The vaccine does not give the required protection, and as it is a live vaccine can actually cause an outbreak. Here is a link to a Facebook group with over 2000 members across the world where owners are trying to help one another cope with this disease. http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/fightAHS/. You can also look at the following link to find the figures for the last season's outbreak. These figures are terrifying to say the least and clearly proves that the vaccine is not working as it should. Each cross represents a horse that contracted the disease. Many goes unreported as the rural population are ignorant of the reporting procedures. http://www.africanhorsesickness.co.za/early_warning.asp?OutbreakID=7&OutbreakName=2010/2011. Here are the statistics in numbers : http://www.africanhorsesickness.co.za/early_warning_stats.asp?OutbreakID=7&OutbreakName=2010/2011. Traditional chemical medication is not working and we are continuously seeking for alternatives that do work. We desperately need international awareness and assistance to develop a vaccine that actually works.
 
Statement from the SA Democratic Party (Shadow Minister of Agric, Forestry and Fisheries) that current AHS Vaccines are no longer working

http://allafrica.com/stories/201204120054.html

South Africa: African Horse Sickness - Government Vaccines Must Be Subject to Independent Oversight

press release

It has come to the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s attention that vaccines produced by state-run Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) for the deadly African Horse Sickness (AHS) are ineffective.

It is estimated that up to 1,000 horses died of the disease last year.

This news comes shortly after the DA publicised the deficiency of state-produced vaccines for Rift Valley Fever (RVF).

Today I will write to the Minister of Agriculture, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, to call for steps to be taken to ensure that OBP vaccines are subjected to testing by an independent oversight body such as the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS).

Last week, I requested an investigation by the National Consumer Commission into potential breaches of the Consumer Protection Act (2008) by OBP with respect to vaccines for RVF. I will now be asking the Commission to expand the scope of their investigation to include AHS vaccines.

OBP is the state-funded institute primarily responsible for the research and development of animal vaccines. The entity effectively has a monopoly on the production of vaccines. For example, all horses entered into official races have to be certified as OBP-vaccinated.

The original vaccine for AHS was developed in 1957, and the only subsequent work that's been done was in 1995. In 2006, horse-owners enquired about whether a new vaccine would be developed. OBP promised that there would be one in 'five years' time'. No new product has been made available.

According to the AHS Trust, the most recent outbreak of AHS lasted five months and has caused 31 deaths (out of 61 known cases thus far).

The most problematic aspect of the current state of affairs is that OBP's internal quality control department is responsible for oversight to ensure that vaccines produced comply with the necessary international standards. This leaves too much room for abuse. OBP cannot be allowed to operate as both player and referee in the lucrative vaccine market.

Horse breeders and farmers are paying up to R300 per animal for AHS vaccines that do not appear to be effective. This is a lot of money to pay for a product that is not working. Meanwhile, OBP's net cash inflow from operating activities in 2011 was R51 642 089, and their operating profit was R20 675 931.

Vaccines are the most important line of defence in preventing and controlling disease outbreaks. Farmers are currently vaccinating without confidence, and OBP seem intent on maintaining their monopoly in this lucrative industry at all costs.

Minister Joemat-Pettersson should respond to this issue as a matter of urgency.

South Africa's rural communities cannot pay the price for ineffective state institutions. The Minister must demonstrate to South Africans that steps are being taken to ensure that the disease is contained.

Annette Steyn, Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
 
Very interested to see your post cuffy, I live in the South East and was talking to my vet the other day about my sheep and schmallenberg, he told me that the same midge carries AHS and that due to our location local vets are very worried that it will be the next thing to hit us and sooner rather than later!!!.
I am not one for using fly spray etc generally but his advice was to ensure all my horses and ponies are kept as midge and fly free as possible which makes me feel totally ineffective in protecting my horses from something as fatal as AHS.
 
equineeyes said:
Very interested to see your post cuffy, I live in the South East and was talking to my vet the other day about my sheep and schmallenberg, he told me that the same midge carries AHS and that due to our location local vets are very worried that it will be the next thing to hit us and sooner rather than later!!!.
I am not one for using fly spray etc generally but his advice was to ensure all my horses and ponies are kept as midge and fly free as possible which makes me feel totally ineffective in protecting my horses from something as fatal as AHS.
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Interesting that your vet specifically raised this point of protecting your horses as much as possible from midge bites
DEFRA do not seem to have updated their guidance since 2009
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/documents/ahs-guidance.pdf
 
SacredHorse said:
The vaccine does not give the required protection, and as it is a live vaccine can actually cause an outbreak. Here is a link to a Facebook group with over 2000 members across the world where owners are trying to help one another cope with this disease. http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/fightAHS/. Y
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The facebook group you mentioned is brilliant, i've followed a horse called Ditsem going through terrible times but seems to be getting better now :) thanks for the link
 
amandat said:
The facebook group you mentioned is brilliant, i've followed a horse called Ditsem going through terrible times but seems to be getting better now :) thanks for the link
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In South Africa they fight for every life, in UK/EU any equine with AHS would be slaughtered.
 
amandat said:
i don't understand why though if some of the horses have a chance of surviving ??
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Because those who survive may become carriers and continue the diseases spread without showing the clinical signs of the disease...

I did a project on AHS a few years ago and its risk to the Irish herd.Its not a nice picture or thought...and yes it is carried by the same insects as BT and schmallenerg..

The other reason that it would be controlled in europe is because having clinical virus in the country would stop any movement abroad and international trade.That could destroy the bloodstock industry. As Racing is the largest equine area of economic gain its the area that would be prioritised for protection.
 
amandat said:
So it would be classed the same as Bird Flu & Foot & Mouth then ?? Sorry don't mean to sound thick !!
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Possibly but not definitely.

In the end I would imagine that whatever committee or experts involved will look at the economics and make a judgement call based on the risks,the possibility of containment and how much money it will cost to control compared to the loss if it wasn't controlled....
Vaccination controls etc its hard to know there are so many serovars and potential for the virus to mutate,that vaccination might not be reliable enough....

Foot and mouth would have beggered the countries agriculture indefinitely so it had to be controlled.Wether the same controls would occur again is hard to know public opinion was very against what happened so its hard to imagine politicians being keen to put what amount to pets for a lot of people to the pyres......

Bird flu is a potential threat to human health.....its hard to know exactly where AHS falls. All I know is that on a naive population with no immunity it would be absolutely devastating..

There are several articles in the vet journals from across the world with articles on the issue and its threat to the various parts of the world...so it has not being completely forgotten worldwide...
 
Last edited:
So... I'm currently in SA and I deal with all the AHS precautions yearly.

There are 2 strands of AHS, Dunkop (thin head) and Dikkop (Thick head).
The symptoms for Dunkop are:
-very high fever (up to 41 degrees).
-difficulty in breathing, with mouth open and head hanging down.
-frothy discharge may pour from the nose.
-sudden onset of death.
-very high death rate (90%).

The symptoms for Dikkop aer:
-fever, followed by swelling of the head and eyes.
in severe cases, the entire head swells (“dikkop”).
-loss of ability to swallow and possible colic symptoms may occur.
-terminal signs include bleeding (of pinpoint size) in the membranes of the mouth and eyes.
-Slower onset of death, occurring 4 to 8 days after the fever has started.
-Lower death rate (50%).

Generally Dunkop is the most feared (for obvious reasons) and it's the one that basically kills overnight (you might go to bed with a healthy horse and wake up with a dead one. Symptoms appear very suddenly and death follows soon after). Though of course there ARE survivors.

Horses that have previously been infected and survived are NOT carriers. As soon as the horse has fully recovered from the virus it can not assist in the spreading of AHS. Only horses that are sick can help spread it (if a midge bites them and then bites another horse).

In SA we take precautions like burning tabard candles, spraying fly stuff every couple of hours, bringing horses into the stables early and closing the stables up at night, etc.

It's a very ugly disease and despite speculations that the vaccine isn't efficient, people that follow the vaccination routine still have less horses getting sick annually ;). The problem with the vaccine is that it comes in 2 "rounds", each last 3 weeks and during the time that the horse is vaccinated it cannot be worked and it shouldn't break a sweat as the vaccine may cause heart damage if the horse has a high heart rate while vaccinated

But like I said, it's very ugly - vaccinate if it's available to you, atleast it lessens you chances

Severe%20African%20Horse%20Sickness-1___DocSlideshowPics.jpg
 
Sorry I was wrong about the Infection post virus.They are only infectious while they have the virus in them so far up to 21 days,not for life and even in the infectious period they are infectious to the flies not spread from horse to horse.
 
QueenOfCadence said:
So... I'm currently in SA and I deal with all the AHS precautions yearly.

There are 2 strands of AHS, Dunkop (thin head) and Dikkop (Thick head).
The symptoms for Dunkop are:
-very high fever (up to 41 degrees).
-difficulty in breathing, with mouth open and head hanging down.
-frothy discharge may pour from the nose.
-sudden onset of death.
-very high death rate (90%).

The symptoms for Dikkop aer:
-fever, followed by swelling of the head and eyes.
in severe cases, the entire head swells (“dikkop”).
-loss of ability to swallow and possible colic symptoms may occur.
-terminal signs include bleeding (of pinpoint size) in the membranes of the mouth and eyes.
-Slower onset of death, occurring 4 to 8 days after the fever has started.
-Lower death rate (50%).

Generally Dunkop is the most feared (for obvious reasons) and it's the one that basically kills overnight (you might go to bed with a healthy horse and wake up with a dead one. Symptoms appear very suddenly and death follows soon after). Though of course there ARE survivors.

Horses that have previously been infected and survived are NOT carriers. As soon as the horse has fully recovered from the virus it can not assist in the spreading of AHS. Only horses that are sick can help spread it (if a midge bites them and then bites another horse).

In SA we take precautions like burning tabard candles, spraying fly stuff every couple of hours, bringing horses into the stables early and closing the stables up at night, etc.

It's a very ugly disease and despite speculations that the vaccine isn't efficient, people that follow the vaccination routine still have less horses getting sick annually ;). The problem with the vaccine is that it comes in 2 "rounds", each last 3 weeks and during the time that the horse is vaccinated it cannot be worked and it shouldn't break a sweat as the vaccine may cause heart damage if the horse has a high heart rate while vaccinated

But like I said, it's very ugly - vaccinate if it's available to you, atleast it lessens you chances

Severe%20African%20Horse%20Sickness-1___DocSlideshowPics.jpg
Click to expand...

OMG that picture....poor horse..Does this horse have the dikkop form??? Thank you for your informative post.....what an awful and scary disease..... xx
 
Article by FEI Vet Tim Watson written before Schmallenberg virus arrived in uK

http://www.equinevetclinic.co.uk/Documents/AfricanHorseSickness.pdf

Quote
''African Horse Sickness is a specified or notifiable disease and its suspicion in horses will trigger, through Defra, a series of testing and control measures. Diagnosis is established by testing of blood samples from affected horses of disease.
Subsequent measures are laid down by the European law (EU Council Directive 92/35/EEC) and these require the slaughter of all affected and in contact horses. While there is provision for financial compensation in respect of the EU-wide slaughter policy, this has already been set by the UK Government at £1 per animal regardless of its actual value. It is presently unclear what stance equestrian insurers might take in respect of any compulsory slaughter. The EU Directive also provides for the setting up of a protection zone of least 100 km radius around infected premises. This, together with a surveillance zone of at least a further 50 km, would have to remain in force for at least 12 months.''

EU Council Directive 92/35/EEC
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/food_safety/animal_health/l12019_en.htm

Quote
''Where an outbreak of African horse sickness is confirmed, the veterinarian must have all infected equidae slaughtered and the carcases of the animals disposed of'
 
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