Equine Disease Surveillance: Quarterly Summary.

Summary

# Equine Disease Surveillance Summary: Q3 2015 During the third quarter of 2015, surveillance data compiled by Defra, the Animal Health Trust and the British Equine Veterinary Association revealed concerning geographical spread of West Nile virus across both European and North American populations, whilst vesicular stomatitis in the USA showed early signs of epidemiological deceleration. The report synthesised diagnostic and case data from UK testing laboratories between July and September 2015, capturing a critical surveillance window that documented disease prevalence patterns across the national equine population. Understanding these disease trends is essential for practitioners in establishing appropriate biosecurity protocols, vaccination strategies and clinical monitoring procedures, particularly given the zoonotic potential of West Nile virus and the production losses associated with vesicular stomatitis outbreaks. For farriers, veterinarians and yard managers, this surveillance intelligence directly informs quarantine decisions and risk stratification when sourcing or relocating horses, whilst the slowing trajectory of vesicular stomatitis suggested that existing control measures in affected US regions were beginning to achieve epidemiological effect.

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Key Findings

• •West Nile virus was detected in Europe and the USA during the surveillance period
• •Vesicular stomatitis spread in the USA showed evidence of slowing
• •UK surveillance testing data were collected and summarized for July to September 2015

Conditions Studied