A midge-borne viral disease of horses, with donkeys and zebras serving as largely symptomless reservoir hosts, that causes severe respiratory and circulatory failure with mortality that can exceed 90 percent in susceptible horses during acute outbreaks. Endemic across sub-Saharan Africa, it has periodically spread into North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and the Middle East when climatic conditions favor its Culicoides midge vectors, and because no treatment exists once clinical signs appear, control relies on vaccination and strict movement restrictions during outbreaks.
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Horse, Livestock African horse sickness (an Orbivirus spread by Culicoides midges) is a severe, often fatal disease of horses.
Sources
1. African Horse Sickness (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationOpening definition paragraph
African horse sickness (AHS) is a highly infectious and often fatal disease caused by African horse sickness virus. It commonly affects horses, mules, and donkeys. It is caused by a virus of the genus Orbivirus belonging to the family Sedoreoviridae. This disease can be caused by any of the nine serotypes of this virus. AHS is not directly contagious, but is known to be spread by insect vectors.
lead description
A midge-borne viral disease of horses, with donkeys and zebras serving as largely symptomless reservoir hosts, that causes severe respiratory and circulatory failure with mortality that can exceed 90 percent in susceptible horses during acute outbreaks.
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