Horses at risk from virus that kills in four hours
Pastor Dale Morgan
Horses at risk from virus that kills in four hours*
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor
Last Updated: 2:52am BST 27/03/2007
A deadly virus that kills horses is poised to arrive in Britain as a
result of climate change, scientists warned.
African horse sickness, which is spread by the Culicoides midge, kills
90 per cent of horses that catch it. The disease causes bleeding,
breathing difficulties, colic and death within four hours of catching
the virus.
The Government-funded Institute for Animal Health (IAH) described the
virus as "probably the worst horse disease on the planet".
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It could devastate the £4 billion-a-year horse industry according to the
Horse Trust charity. A single case would mean imports and exports from
Britain being banned for two years.
The Culicoides midge "can be transported on wind" for hundreds of miles,
according to Professor Philip Mellor of the IAH.
As the climate gets warmer, the Horse Trust says the disease would have
a greater opportunity to establish itself. The disease can pass to
midges in Britain, spreading it even more rapidly.
There were outbreaks between 1987 and 1991 in North Africa, Spain and
Portugal. Thousands of horses either died or had to be put down.
Dr James Wood, from the Cambridge Infectious Diseases Consortium, warned
that the vaccines are unlicenced in Europe: "There is no modern control
for this infection. That is one reason why we should be worried."
A spokesman from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs said surveillance suggested that the virus was confined to
Africa but they would "keep this assessment under review".