Disease risks from abroad

With increasing movement of horses worldwide and climate warming, diseases which are common in tropical and subtropical countries can be found travelling north; demonstrated by the recent outbreaks of Bluetongue and Schmallenberg disease in the British farm population. The threat of a devastating disease like African horse sickness entering the UK and killing a large proportion of the horse population is so real that the government has already put regulations in place for managing a possible outbreak. The risk of the entry of a new equine disease into the UK has the potential to not only cause welfare issues and equine deaths but the possibility of large scale disruption of equine events and activities of the scale seen in the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001. Horse owners and veterinarians should be vigilant and keep exotic diseases in their mind when dealing with a sick animal or sudden unexplained death. It is imperative that these situations are recognised in the earliest possible stage and appropriate biosecurity measures are put into place to minimise spread.