Equine Flu

convert

I heard this morning that racing in Britain has been cancelled due to an outbreak of equine flu. There were a few Irish runners (from several trainers' yards) in Britain yesterday so I'm sure this is something that the Irish authorities will be looking into.

And if there's an outbreak here, no doubt it will lead to a curtailment of all equestrian activities, not just racing. So similar to what happened a few years ago.

Apart from impacting on all our fun and outings, it's not good for the industry.

breakemall

There was a piece a few weeks ago in the Indo that there were outbreaks in the east and south here, so as we were heading to an event I got our vet to give the annual boosters a month early just to be sure.

That now seems to be useless as the horses in the outbreak in the UK were all inoculated?

Very worrying...

Ave Sodalis

The few cases in Ireland have been isolated so far, thankfully!



Symptoms:

• high temperature
• being off foo/weight loss
• respiratory problems
• nasal discharge
• swollen glands
• coughing
• depression
• reluctance to move

TheFarrier

One of my dads friends is a dealer in England, he has been making weekly trips here since Christmas in mad panic looking for hunters to take home before brexit bites.

This will have put the brakes on that big time.

I met him in January he was pulling his hair out then, I’d hate to see the carry on now

Ave Sodalis

Ireland to England travel should be okay! I think, however, many dealer yards (or competition yards, or any yard with high horse turnover) will be very hampered by this. As will any persons having to travel between yards (dentists, farriers, physios).

TheFarrier

Moving horses from Ireland to England is fine, but no transport truck from here will risk traveling to England to deliver a horse for risk of bringing flu home, and no English truck will be left cross this way

Ave Sodalis

TheFarrier wrote: »

Moving horses from Ireland to England is fine, but no transport truck from here will risk traveling to England to deliver a horse for risk of bringing flu home, and no English truck will be left cross this way

Perhaps, but Equine Infectious Anaemia is rampant in Italy, and we still allow lorries in and out of it. There might be a slow down while appropriate restrictions are put in place, but hopefully the authorities realise that while open travel between the Ireland and England might not remain until the flu passes, we move both horses and lorries in and out of countries with infectious diseases all the time.



Although there's a good chance they'll just panic and shut everything down.

isaos

Ave Sodalis wrote: »

Ireland to England travel should be okay! I think, however, many dealer yards (or competition yards, or any yard with high horse turnover) will be very hampered by this. As will any persons having to travel between yards (dentists, farriers, physios).

Good point - we think of travelling or not, but most of us don't even give a thought about the farrier... and I assume they are the most likely to spread the flu from their apron? I'd love to have some feedback from @The Farrier if he is following this thread. And also from physios, as very often people gather to one location from different areas..

All that is rather scary...

isaos

@THeFarrier I see now that you are following the Thread! have you come accross any case in Kerry or Cork?

TheFarrier

I haven’t but then I’ve been housebound with the human flu since before it was discovered in UK. Spoke with a vet this morning in a racing yard and she was basically saying that the biggest risk is the horse owning public’s attitude towards infectious disease, and that until that changes then anything we as vets farriers etc do is basically pointless in preventing the spread.

As an apprentice I was once in a yard that was trying to conceal a case of strangles, that was a bit nerve wracking as we were halfway through a days work in the yard when my boss spotted the sick horse. As we were already as contaminated as we were going to be we finished our days work but scrubbed our aprons in hibiscrub and burned out tools in the forge to sterilize them before they too got the bucket of hibiscrub. Burned our clothes that evening too.

On another occasion a large livery yard my boss served had strangles and was on lockdown for weeks and weeks. Eventually got the all clear but 60 odd horses all needed shoeing immediately as they hadn’t been done in ages. That was a profitable few days but hard on the back.

That’s the extent of my experience with infectious diseases thank god, if I even got a sniff of one now I’d be gone like a bullet. The damage that can be done to a farriers reputation if he is even suspected of transmitting a disease he wasn’t told he was being exposed to is immeasurable.

Beasty

Ave Sodalis wrote: »

The few cases in Ireland have been isolated so far, thankfully!

My kids 2 x ponies and 1 x horse are at an Irish yard where it's pretty rampant at present (no racing horses there though). There has been little if any publicity, presumably to avoid scaremongering. However I would be surprised if none of the horses/ponies from that yard were competing in equestrian events elsewhere last weekend before people were aware of the outbreak

Indeed there's then the question over how it arrived at that yard in the first place

Beasty

TheFarrier wrote: »

One of my dads friends is a dealer in England, he has been making weekly trips here since Christmas in mad panic looking for hunters to take home before brexit bites.

This will have put the brakes on that big time.

I met him in January he was pulling his hair out then, I’d hate to see the carry on now

There may be some disruption around the end of March, but I don't think there's much risk to trading in horses post-Brexit

isaos

This article below is rather welcome... a bit less panic would be good! -

https://www.racingpost.com/news/equine-flu-outbreak/nigel-twiston-davies-slams-bha-for-massive-overreaction-to-flu-cases/365656?fbclid=IwAR39z-t8Pj699YMXftMIqJhb7MXD-ctjPITxA541Rd77eFV0fyixKkFP2gA

isaos

Beasty wrote: »

Indeed there's then the question over how it arrived at that yard in the first place

It's a bit like human flu.. it doesn't take much to go from one yard to another. Just one person out on a horse having a dirty nose..

Then we need to remember that most affected horses won't die... The Flu vaccin still helps a bit.

isaos

Just in case someone wouldn't have read it:

** Update to Equine Influenza Alert **
7th February 2019

The Irish Equine Centre (IEC) notes the statements released earlier today by the British Horseracing Authority and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board in relation to equine influenza and the suspension of racing in the United Kingdom.

Equine influenza is endemic in Europe and North America i.e. outbreaks occur on an almost annual basis. The virus very rarely causes fatalities in endemic countries but if sufficient numbers of horses are infected equestrian events may have to be cancelled to control the spread of the disease.

Since the start of 2019 equine influenza has been diagnosed on a number of premises throughout Ireland. Breeding stock, racehorses, competition and leisure horses are affected. Clinical signs such as coughing, nasal discharge, swollen glands and fever have been observed in both vaccinated and unvaccinated horses but the latter are worst affected. There has been an increase in influenza outbreaks in several countries in Europe recently and the first two Irish premises confirmed (a Thoroughbred stud farm and a show jumping yard), appear to have epidemiological links to the continent. The virus has been typed by the OIE Reference Laboratory at the IEC. It belongs to Clade 1 of the Florida sublineage. In addition, the IEC has typed viruses in samples received from recent outbreaks on the continent and confirmed that they are the same strain. The Animal Health Trust in Newmarket has also identified this Clade 1 virus in the United Kingdom.

Clade 1 viruses predominate in North and South America but have not been identified in Ireland since early 2010. The virus can spread rapidly in a yard particularly if the horses are naïve or lack protective immunity. In naïve horses the incubation period can be as short as 24 hours but in vaccinated horses may be three to five days. Clinical signs in vaccinated horses may be very mild and are sometimes limited to a temperature spike, a temporary decrease in appetite or a lack of energy. Coughing and nasal discharge are not always observed and this can lead to a delay in diagnosis after the introduction of virus in a yard.

To minimise the risk of equine influenza
1. Booster vaccination is recommended for horses that have not been vaccinated in the last six months. It is preferable to use a vaccine that contains a Clade 1 virus such as A/eq/South Africa/04/2003 or A/eq/Ohio/2003.
2. All horses on a premises should be vaccinated to ensure herd immunity. Unvaccinated infected horses will amplify virus and shed large quantities into the atmosphere. If there is sufficient build-up of virus their vaccinated companions are likely to develop clinical signs.
3. Young horses and horses early in their vaccination career, are more susceptible to influenza than older horses that have been vaccinated for many years. Thus, it is advisable to group horses according to risk, for example, yearlings should not be stabled in the same barn as racehorses.
4. New arrivals or horses returning from equestrian events should be isolated for preferably two weeks but a minimum of one week, during which time their temperature should be monitored daily and veterinary advice sought if influenza is suspected.

Detection of equine influenza and management
1. Rapid diagnosis is essential for effective management. Veterinary advice should be sought if a horse spikes a temperature, has a decreased appetite or shows any sign of respiratory disease. A nasopharyngeal swab can then be collected and submitted to the laboratory for virus detection.
2. Infected horses need to be rested. The traditional rule is one week of rest for every day of elevated temperature. Failure to rest a horse may exacerbate the disease, increase the likelihood of secondary bacterial infections and prolong the recovery time.
3. Whenever possible infected horses should be isolated with designated staff and equipment. The virus is easily transmitted by contaminated objects such as bridles, clothing, twitches and by vehicles. However, it is readily inactivated with most disinfectants provided they are applied to clean surfaces and at the concentration recommended by the manufacturers for influenza viruses.
4. Horses from affected premises should not attend equestrian events as they may serve as a source of infection to other horses and jeopardise the continuity of such events.
5. The return to work of individual horses and the length of time a premises remains closed should be decided in consultation with the veterinary clinician. Laboratory testing is necessary to monitor virus spread and facilitate risk analysis. The period of recovery and the cessation of virus shedding will depend on many factors including biosecurity, vaccination status and housing. Influenza is a self-limiting disease i.e. the virus does not establish persistent infections and with correct management an infected horse should return to full health and performance.

Note: Testing for equine influenza is provided free of charge by the Irish Equine Centre. This service is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Please contact Dr Ann Cullinane, Head of Virology at 045 866266 with any queries or email iec@irishequinecentre.ie