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Verwysing/Reference: AHS2007
Navrae/Enquiries: Dr P Koen
AFRICAN HORSE SICKNESS
Modification of the Notice issued in terms of the
Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act 35 of 1984, as amended)
by the Western Cape Chief Director of Veterinary Services
on 23 March 2007

A. CURRENT SITUATION
1. A highly suspect case of African horse sickness (AHS) was diagnosed on 28 March 2007 on the results of a post mortem examination of a horse that died on a property North of the N1 national road. The involved property is located in the magisterial district of Paarl, approximately 8 km in a north-westerly direction from the original outbreak farm in the
Franschhoek/Berg River valley.
2. As a result of the above spread, the high risk areas need to be extended in an effort to prevent further spread.

B. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONTROL MEASURES
The Control Measures instituted in terms of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act 35 of 1984, as amended) on 23 March 2007 are amended as described below. These amendments take effect immediately and will remain in effect until repealed by the South African veterinary authorities.
1. All cases of equine disease and or acute deaths must be reported as soon as possible to the responsible State Veterinarian or official Animal Health Technician to be officially investigated. A State Veterinarian is, in this specific instance, a veterinarian in the employ of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and authorised by the national Director in terms of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act 35 of 1984, as amended).
2. All properties on which proven or highly suspect African horse sickness infected cases occur, or are suspected to occur, are hereby placed under quarantine and no equine animals may come onto, pass through or leave such a property, except under authority of a permit issued by a State Veterinarian. Equine animals are defined as all horses, donkeys, mules and zebra.

P r i v a a t s a k X 1 / P r i v a t e B a g X 1 ,
E l s e n b u r g 7 6 0 7
Tel: +27(0)218085052 ● Faks/Fax: +27(0)218085126 ● Sel/Mobile: +27(0)829072808
Webwerf/Website: http://www.elsenburg.com
E -pos /mail : pieterk@elsenburg.com
Department Landbou | Department of Agriculture | Isebe Lwezolimo
 

3. All movements of equine animals within, into and out of the magisterial districts of Paarl and Stellenbosch, as well as that part of the Bellville magisterial district North of the N1 national road and to the East of the R302 road. The N1 national road, traversing these magisterial districts, is exempted from these restrictions only during daylight hours (2 hours after sunrise to 2 hours before sunset) only for through (in transit) movements, with no stopping (except at the Huguenot Toll Plaza), loading or unloading of equines allowed. Movements from (out of) these districts to the AHS Protection Zone or the AHS Infected
Zone (rest of South Africa) will be considered, but these animals will not be allowed to return whilst the movement ban remains in operation. Such movements will only be allowed under cover and according to the conditions of a Movement Permit issued by a State Veterinarian.
4. All movements of equine animals within, into and out of the rest of the African horse sickness Free Zone and African horse sickness Surveillance Zone, encompassed by the following magisterial districts:Simon’s Town; Wynberg; Mitchell’s Plain, the remainder of Bellville situated West of route R302, Cape, Kuils River, Goodwood, Somerset West, Mitchell’s Plain, Strand, Vredenburg, Hopefield, Moorreesburg, Malmesbury and Wellington, are prohibited, except under cover and according to the conditions of a Movement Permit issued by a State Veterinarian.
5. All owners of horses on properties within a radius of 25 kilometres of the index case farm near Simondium fall within the Compulsory Vaccination Zone (see description of the area below). In this zone all susceptible horses must be vaccinated by a registered veterinarian with the Onderstepoort AHS vaccine within the next 10 days. The vaccination regime to be followed is: The administration of the second combination of the vaccine as a primary vaccination, followed 21 days later by the first (syringe 1) combination.
The area contained within the Compulsory Vaccination Zone referred to above consists of:
· The whole of the magisterial districts of Paarl and Stellenbosch
· That part of the Bellville magisterial district North of the N1 and to the East of route R302. This includes the whole Joostenbergvlakte.
The boundaries in relation to the main routes are:
N1: Kraaifontein Du Toit’s Kloof Pass
R45: Mbekweni south of Wellington Franschhoek Pass
R44: Winery Road intersection Intersection with R45
Although falling within the 25 kilometer radius, those parts of the following magisterial districts are excluded from the compulsory vaccination zone:
· Wellington
· Malmesbury
· Mitchell’s Plain
· Somerset West
The following towns, suburbs or areas fall outside this area:
· Kraaifontein
· Blue Downs
· Eersterivier
· Macassar
· Somerset West
· Franschhoek
· Wellington
· Perdeberg

Susceptible horses are horses that were last vaccinated with the OBP AHS vaccine by a registered veterinarian, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, more than 12 full calendar months ago, counting back from 22 March 2007 to the date of the administration of the second fraction of the vaccine. Susceptible horses also include foals born of dams which have been vaccinated less than a year ago (and according to the requirements listed above) at the time of foaling and which (the foals) have not yet been vaccinated this season and which are older than 6 months of age. In specific high-risk cases the attending veterinarian or official might deem it necessary to vaccinate foals as young as 4 months of age. The costs of such vaccinations will be for the owner’s own account. A representative group of private practising equine veterinarians have proposed a flat rate of R 120.00 per animal for both vaccinations. The above includes the price of the vaccine and issuance of a vaccination certificate for each animal, but does not include travelling time and kilometre fees. Owners must consult their private veterinarians to determine these costs. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture will supply vaccine free of charge to involved veterinarians, but then only for vaccination of susceptible animals in the specified compulsory vaccination areas as described above. Permission is hereby granted for the vaccination of horses inside the Compulsory Vaccination Zone (which falls within the AHS Surveillance Zone as described in 97/10/EC, to be vaccinated as described in this Notice. This Permission is granted as a disease control measure to create a temporary protection zone round the infection, and does not constitute systematic vaccination. Where owners elect to voluntarily have their horses vaccinated, a normal veterinarian: client relationship with respect to fees will hold. It should also be noted that written Permissions to Vaccinate will have to be obtained from the State Veterinarian Boland, as per the normal African horse sickness protocol applicable within the AHS Surveillance Zone.
6. All horses on properties situated within a 25 kilometre radius of a proven or highly suspect African horse sickness infected case or property must be stabled in fully enclosed stables from 2 hours preceding sunset to 2 hours following sunrise. In cases where stabling is not possible or inadequate, insect repellants to deter these midges from settling and feeding on horses, and consequently transmitting infection, must be applied to horses as prescribed on a continuous basis. In these cases quarantine might be imposed on these properties because of the relatively high risk of infection of unstabled horses.
…………………………………………….
Dr Pieter Koen
For acting Chief Director : Veterinary Services
Department of Agriculture
Western Cape Province
Date: 29 March 2007
 

ADDENDUM
GENERAL INFORMATION
Although absolute containment of a disease to a localised area is the ideal, diseases transmitted by insect vectors (AHS vectors are small biting midges; Afr: “muggies”) may spread to a limited extent by natural movement of these vectors. The prevailing South Easterly winds at this time of year seems to influence the spread of these vectors, with infected vectors possibly carried down wind for various distances. During the 1999 and 2004 AHS outbreaks in the AHS Surveillance Zone, the maximum
distance that the infection spread naturally (ie. not spread by movement of infected equines) is in the 20 kilometre range. This spread is dependant on numerous climatological and ecological factors, as well as adequate numbers of host animals (cattle are preferred hosts) for the female midges to obtain sufficient blood meals for them to reproduce. As African horse sickness only affects equines, adequate numbers of susceptible horses (and donkeys, mules and zebra) must be available to be infected to keep the cycle going. The following risk reducing strategies are available to curtail the spread of infection:

1. Stabling of horses from dusk to early morning is an extremely effective practice.
2. Proper vaccination of horses against African horse sickness dramatically reduce the probablity of infection or lessens the effect of the virus on the animal.
3. Regular use of effective topical insect repellants to lessen or prevent midge attacks.
4. Moving horses away from low lying ground can also reduce the risk of infection.
5. Placing of cattle in these low lying areas/camps (especially from dusk till early morning when the midges are actively feeding) can assist by providing the midges with their preferred host species, thus drawing or keeping them away from the horses.