Despite the focus on equine flu outbreaks, as the highly infectious disease continues to be reported around the UK, strangles cases are also rising significantly, horse care experts have warned.
There have been 260 cases formally diagnosed within the first five months of the year , which has surpassed the total number diagnosed in the whole of 2023.
Using data from the Surveillance of Equine Strangles (SES), veterinary pharmaceutical company Dechra has calculated that if strangles continues to be diagnosed in line with the current rates (an average of 52 diagnoses per month) then there will 600 cases formally diagnosed during 2026, a rise of nearly a quarter year on year.
Both infectious diseases require good biosecurity and preventative measures and the collaborators behind
Strangles Awareness Week have put in place procedures to help prevent and manage strangles outbreaks.
These measures include boosting immunity with vaccination, engaging with trusted information, separating unfamiliar horses, and temperature checking routinely.
The strangles vaccine, Strangvac, protects up to 94 percent of horses from the disease and new studies
have also highlighted the benefits of vaccination in the face of a strangles outbreak.
“While flu and strangles data are reported differently to reflect their distinct epidemiology — with flu reported as outbreaks and strangles as laboratory diagnoses — both surveillance systems offer invaluable insights into
UK equine health,” said Dr Abigail McGlennon from the Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance (EIDS) group.
“To help keep their horses healthy, EIDS recommends that the equestrian community practices the four ‘ates’: Vaccinate to build immunity, Isolate new or returning horses, Investigate clinical signs early, and Communicate confirmed cases to other yards and owners, as well as to EIDS via their vet, to help us track and control disease spread.”
Dr Mary Battersby, veterinary surgeon and equine veterinary advisor at Dechra, the company behind the Strangvac vaccine, noted that horses are more likely to be on the move this time of year.
“Equine flu and strangles are infectious diseases which spread rapidly and can bring the equine community to a standstill,” she said.
“Good biosecurity and preventative measures are essential to help tackle both diseases, particularly in light of owners traditionally being ‘out and about’ more with their horses over the summer.”
Image credit: Dechra
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