Equine Influenza
Understanding & Treating Equine Influenza
Equine influenza is a major disease occurred in horses, donkeys,
mules, and related animals by a flu virus called type A Orthomyxovirus.
It is major type of flu found in the horses in Europe, North
America and certain parts of Asia. And, so far, only Iceland,
New Zealand, and Australia are being considered as free of
the virus causing equine influenza.
Signs Of The Equine Influenza
Equine influenza is a disease of the upper respiratory tract,
the signs include fever, coughing, nasal discharge, depression,
sore muscles, anorexia, and enlargement of regional lymph
nodes. In some cases, there are other symptoms such as pain
in abdomen (colic) and edema of the legs and scrotum have
been reported.
Usually, healthy adult horses would come out of the disease
in up to two weeks. In younger horses, the complications can
arise easily and creating a high risk of fatality. In addition,
secondary complications rise due to bacterial infection. This
will extend the duration of recovery and may cause death through
pneumonia, purpura hemorrhagica, or pleuritis. A deadly condition
which is known as the interstitial myocarditis may also occur
during or after infection with equine influenza. It is characterized
by inflammation of the heart muscles.
In case of flu in horses, most of them show signs of flu
within a period of one to five days.
How Does This Disease Transmit?
The flu virus which is responsible for equine influenza can
be transmitted from one horse to another by means of droplets
which contain the virus. It reaches uninfected horses through
people and objects, such as infected brushes and rugs which
have been in contact with infected horses. The disease is
highly contagious with an almost 100% rate of infection in
a population of horses newly exposed to the virus. About 20
% of the infected horses never develop the signs of flu but
can spread the disease.
The Treatment
Treatment for equine influenza, similar to other viral infections,
includes boosting the immunity of to counter the viral activity.
This demands good husbandry and healthy nutrition for the
horses. The best way to reduce viral activity is through complete
rest. Even after the clinical signs of flu are resolved, resting
will help in making complete recovery from the disease. If
the fever reaches or exceeds105°F, antipyretics are used
for bringing relief.
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