MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Outbreak of equine encephalomyelitis in several Argentine provinces

SENASA reports that all establishments or farms which notified such symptoms and death of horses have been interdicted with absolute movement restriction for all equines.

Argentina's Animal Health and Food Quality Service, SENASA, has officially reported positive results of alphavirus, equine encephalomyelitis from regional labs in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Corrientes and Santa Fe, where samples of nervous or dying horses were collected.

The positive results, according to SENASA indicate the presence of equine encephalomyelitis, and the labs are working now to determine the kind of virus, East, West or Venezuela. Apparently the viral disease is transmitted from birds to mosquitoes and these then infect equines and even human beings. The incubation period of the disease until the first clinical symptoms is from 5 to 14 days.

SENASA reports that all establishments or farms which notified such symptoms and death of horses have been interdicted with absolute movement restriction for all equines. The Argentine federal Ministry of Health Care has also been involved in helping contain the outbreak.

So far the disease seems to have continued spreading in the provinces of Santa Fe, Corrientes, Entre Rios and Cordoba, and more diagnosis from them are expected based on samples and swabs. Declaring an emergency situation has not been discarded

In the meantime some of the precaution measures anticipated are combating mosquitoes, with products recommended by SENASA. Vaccination of equines, for which coordination has been established with the different veterinary products chambers to ensure availability and distribution as soon as possible

Likewise all those related to equine breeding must reinforce periodic clinical inspections and implement prevention and control measures, underlines SENASA.