The latest quarterly Equine Quarterly Disease Surveillance report was published recently. This covers the period July-September 2023. As we learned in Strangles Awareness Week 2023, Strangles can be very disruptive and costly for owners, livery yards, competition venues and other commercial operations.
The latest report shows a number of areas of the UK where cases have been reported. Whilst the numbers are low, these will be underestimated as samples are not submitted from all cases. The really GOOD NEWS is that overall, compared with the same period in 2022, the number of reported cases is significantly lower.
Many people still don’t take Strangles seriously, thinking its something that just has to be “accepted” or “lived with”.
STRANGLES FACTS
Strangles is the UK’s most commonly diagnosed infectious disease in horses and in horses globally.
Over a third of regions in the UK have had cases in the last year. As horse owners, we should be prepared to encounter this disease in our careers, either in our own horses or others.
Over 90% of horse owners know the key signs of strangles; Snot, fever, abscesses.
71% of horse owners are aware that, left untreated, around 10% of horses that recover from strangles become long-term carriers that can infect other horses for years into the future.
Nasal discharge and temperature were the most common symptoms of strangles at the time of diagnosis.
There ARE POSITIVE STEPS you can take to reduce the risk of your horses or ponies contracting Strangles!
