African Horse Sickness

What is African horse The pulmonary or respiratory form Who should I contact if sickness and what causes it? occurs rapidly (within days). Signs I suspect African horse African horse sickness is a serious, of include fever, difficulty sickness? often fatal disease of horses, mules, breathing, coughing, sweating, and Contact your veterinarian and donkeys. The is spread by frothy discharge from the nostrils. immediately. African horse sick- infected insects (biting midges) and Death usually occurs within a few ness is not found in the United causes fever and, heart and respiratory hours after illness is seen. States. Suspicion of disease requires (breathing) problems in affected The cardiac form of the disease immediate attention. animals. Death is common and can causes fever and swelling (edema) occur suddenly. The disease primarily around the eyes, lips, cheeks, tongue, How can I protect my occurs in Africa, but outbreaks have and neck. Death usually occurs due to animals from African horse been reported in Egypt, parts of the heart failure. sickness? Middle East, Spain, Portugal, , Some affected animals may have The best way to protect animals Pakistan and India. African horse both pulmonary and cardiac signs of from African horse sickness is to sickness has not occurred in the disease. decrease their exposure to biting United States. Some animals may only develop midges and other insects (e.g., mosquitoes and biting flies). Stabling What animals get African a cyclic fever (high in the afternoon, gone in the morning). These animals horses in insect-proof housing, horse sickness? may also have depression and a particularly between dusk and African horse sickness can affect decreased appetite. Animals with this dawn when the insects are most horses, donkeys, mules, , camels horsesickness fever form of African active, can help prevent exposure. and dogs. Zebras and donkeys rarely horse sickenss will typically recover. Insect repellents and insecticides develop serious disease, but horses may also be useful. Monitor your and mules can become very sick and Can I get African horse horse’s temperature. Horses with often die. sickness? fevers should be examined by your veterinarian. How can my animal get No. Human cases of African horse sickness have never been reported. African horse sickness? For More Information African horse sickness is spread by biting midges (also called CFSPH Technical Fact Sheets. African horse sickness at http://www.cfsph. “punkies” or “no-see-ums”) (). iastate.edu/DiseaseInfo/ Mosquitoes and biting flies may also be able to transfer the virus. Dogs African Horse World Organization for Animal Health can become infected by eating (oral) Sickness (OIE) at http://www.oie.int contaminated horsemeat. is a severe, often fatal, United States Animal Health Association. disease of equids, Foreign Animal at http:// How does African horse spread by biting midges. www.aphis.usda.gov/emergency_re- sickness affect my animal? sponse/downloads/nahems/fad.pdf African horse sickness can cause respiratory (lung) disease, cardiac (heart) disease, or a cyclic fever. Death rates can be as high as 95% for some forms of the disease.

Circle inset show a biting midge. Photos from U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Last Updated: January 2011 © 2011