EIA / Swamp fever found in Britain

This is seriously worrying news. Lets hope we get another cold snap soon which put the midges in hibernation while this EIA breakout is cleared up to stop any spreading.. Fingers crossed!

Lou x
 
Oh bloody marvellous
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BHS Press Release

BHS advises horse owners not to panic over outbreak of EIA in UK


The British Horse Society is urging horse owners not to panic after Equine Infectious Anaemia is detected in two horses in Wiltshire.



Defra has confirmed that Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA), otherwise known as Swamp Fever, was found in two horses imported from the continent. The infected animals, which arrived in a group of ten originating from Romania and Belgium, have been humanely destroyed.



EIA has not been imported into Great Britain since 1976, so the news will be a shock to the horse industry. However, the BHS is advising horse owners that there is no need to be overly concerned by this news.



Lee Hackett, Head of Welfare at the BHS, said: “Obviously any outbreak of an exotic disease is very worrying and this is news that we did not want to hear. However, there is no reason to panic and every reason to hope that these cases will form an isolated incident and be successfully contained. Defra have acted incredibly quickly and taken every possible precaution to ensure this outbreak is suppressed.

Furthermore, EIA is spread by biting insects rather than horse to horse contact, so the recent weather will have improved the chances of containment. Few biting insects will have survived the cold snap meaning that transmission of the disease to other horses is extremely unlikely
 
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EIA has not been imported into Great Britain since 1976, so the news will be a shock to the horse industry.

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With so mny meat horses being "rescued"? More inevitable then shocking.....
 
Can someone just clarify - is this disease only spread by midges or can be passed from horse to horse? The articles seems to be a bit confusing as, on one hand it states it is spread by midges and then the other states that if a horse survives the disease then it has it for it's entire life (I guess like malaria) so can spread to other horses so has to be destroyed.

Does this mean only spread as in if bitten by a midge that then bites another horse? I am assuming so but it doesn't make it clear.

Therefore I assume only if a horse tests positive for EIA it has to be destroyed and they wouldn't do a mass 'prevention cull' around affected premises as with F&M?
 
Yes it is spread only by biting insects (not just midges but horseflies and the like), there is no cure nor is there a vaccination which is why the affected horse has to be destroyed. The midge has to bite the infected horse and then bite another horse, I think within fifteen minutes but someone can correct me if I am wrong here. You could theoretically have say 3 out of 10 horses on a yard test positive and the rest clear, so I don't think there would be the indiscriminate culls that there were with FMD.

Still alarming that it has finally been allowed to reach our shores, but then it was only a matter of time tbh.
 
My understanding is that it can only be transferred via a midge (or other biting, flying insect). However, when a horse is infected it remains a carrier and so must be isolated from other horses to prevent a midge biting it and then flying straight into another horse and then infecting it.

Bit immaterial anyway as I understand that any affected horse is PTS anyway...., isolation is not an option.

I am sure someone more literate and technical than me may explain this better.
 
Ah thanks that is what I thought.

I think it is disgusting it has been allowed to reach here - especially in the way it has. Imprt regulations (or lack of them) are just ridiculous.
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Someone said Baydon I think

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Baydon or B<font color="red">r</font>aydon? I'm very interested in which since one is very close to where my boys are!
 
The belgium horse was not tested with the rest of the consignment. This would lead me to believe that it may have already left the original yard. Very worrying.

I also believe it could be Braydon, not Baydon.
 
It's not midges (unlike African Horse Sickness, and ruminant disease Blue Tongue) it's Tabanids, which we call horse flies. Midges seem to have survived the cold spell, but there are no adult flies around to bite anything and transfer the virus- they're all larval stage snug in organic matter somewhere warmer than in the air!
 
All well and good till the warmer weather arrives and how many more TICKING BOMBS (EIA infected horses) are there, out there. DEFRA are playing it down, but it is PURE LUCK these ones were picked up. These where imported by someone who regularly does so and there is NO WAY all will have been tested.
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It's Braydon
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Minety.

Google Map...go to Satelite..have a good scout around..the dutch barns are quite easily spotted.

As is another dealers yard towards Braydon, under DEFRA scrutiny as from yesterday...

This is FAR from over yet....
 
Braydon / Minety - not that far apart - and I know of two yards in Braydon that have had a visit from DEFRA, NOT BECAUSE THEY HAVE EIA (before anyone starts panicing!!) but to ask questions.
 
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