AHS Movement Restrictions Lifted
The Western Cape Department of Agriculture issued a press release dated 13 June 2016, announcing that the containment zone around Wellington, Paarl and Stellenbosch has been dissolved and movement controls within the AHS Surveillance Zone will revert to the normal.
2016 Outbreak
A case of African Horse Sickness (AHS) was detected through clinical surveillance by a private veterinarian in Paarl on 2 April 2016. Samples collected from the colt that became ill and died tested positive for AHS virus, subsequently shown to be Serotype 1. A containment zone was established and enforced around this indicator case.
Cases
Including the initial case, 21 horses on eight properties within the established containment zone tested positive for infection with AHS virus. Six of these horses experienced clinicial signs of illness, causing a total of four deaths.
The most recent case was detected from a sample taken on 4 May 2016.
Containment area and movement restrictions
As it has been 40 days since the last confirmed case of AHS, the containment zone around Wellington, Paarl and Stellenbosch has been dissolved and movement controls within the AHS Surveillance Zone will revert to the normal protocol as from 13 June, the details of which can be found at www.elsenburg.com
Vaccination
Vaccination within the surveillance and free zones is only allowed from 13 June until 31 October 2016 and also only with permission from a state veterinarian. A map of the AHS control zones can also be found at www.elsenburg.com/vetepi
