First swamp fever case in North as Republic tally rises

THE first case of swamp fever has been confirmed in Northern Ireland and a further outbreak detected in the Republic.

Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA) is a potentially fatal viral infection in horses but has no human health implications.

Seventeen cases of the disease have been confirmed in the Republic since June and with one exception, all were involved or linked to the original incident.

The latest case was on premises already restricted and therefore within the Department of Agriculture and Food’s (DAF) high-risk category.

A total of 22 premises and 1,000 horses are now subject to movement restrictions.

The 16th case, confirmed on August 25, was on previously unrestricted premises, which did not seem to have any links with earlier outbreaks.

DAF experts are still investigating the circumstances of that case in a bid to establish if there was any connection with the other cases and to determine how the infection was transmitted.

Meanwhile, the DAF has begun the process of de-restricting a small number of the initial in-contact horses. It hopes this will continue and accelerate in the coming weeks.

The Irish Equine Centre has carried out over 4,000 tests for EIA. The Central Veterinary Research Laboratory has also been carrying out serological tests. To date only the 17 positive cases reported have been confirmed.

As part of the extensive programme of tracing in-contact horses, the DAF has identified a number which had left the country. In all cases, the relevant authorities in those countries have been notified.

It has also urged horse owners to continue being vigilant and those involved in the industry to continue maintaining high standards of biosecurity.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) in Belfast said that following the detection of EIA in the Republic in June, it identified horses in Northern Ireland that may have had contact with horses from the south.

All these horses have been placed under movement restriction and are undergoing regular blood testing.

As a result of the testing of the in-contact horses, one foal on premises in County Derry was confirmed positive for EIA. The foal was put down.

Test results for all other horses on the premises have been negative to date.

The DARD said there have been no recent horse movements off the premises.

It is tracing all horses that may have had any contact with the confirmed case and all contacts will be restricted and tested for any evidence of the disease.