Strangles Death at Northlands Park
An outbreak of strangles has resulted in at least one death and the closing of one barn at Northlands Park in Edmonton. The 150 horse barn will be cleaned, disinfected and kept empty for three weeks, until March 23. The article refers to the disease as equine distemper, which is another common name for strangles. It should not be confused in any way with canine or feline distemper, both of which are caused by viruses. Strangles (equine distemper) is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus equi subsp. equi.
Strangles is an endemic disease that circulates through the horse population. As Horse Racing Alberta commission veterinarian stated, "It is not even something highly unusual. It is a disease of horses and has been around since Christ was a cowboy."
There seems to be some major communication issues regarding this particular outbreak. Good communication and a team approach are absolutely necessary for a prompt and effective outbreak response. Too often, this doesn't happen. This may be the case here as, according to the veterinarian, "The horsemen are supposed to tell me (about any deaths), but they don't want me to know which makes it so frustrating. If there was a rule that any horseman caught with a horse with distemper (strangles) would be thrown off the grounds you would probably get better results."
A rule mandating reporting of certain infectious diseases is certainly useful, as long as it's not punitive, as this often deters people from reporting infectious diseases. I share Dr. Martin's frustration. Outbreaks can be draining on everyone involved, and it's incredibly frustrating to be in the midst of an outbreak response and continually butting heads with the people you're trying to help.
As is often the case with outbreaks, people are trying to lay blame. It's human nature, but often ends up with effort being misdirected. Horsemen are apparently pointing the finger at Northlands Park, but for a disease like strangles, they should probably be looking at themselves. As Dr. Martin states "Northlands didn't bring in the distemper; the horsemen, or at least one horseman, did. It's the horsemen's barn when they occupy it."
Facilities can help reduce the risk of strangles, but the most effective way for them to do that is to have strict infection control guidelines, including routine quarantine and testing, and it's unlikely horsemen would be too happy about that. Alternatively it's the horsemen that need to take action. Isolating new arrivals, testing high risk horses, getting prompt veterinary care when a horse appears sick, and ensuring that control measures are rapidly implemented when a suspected infectious disease is identified are more important factors, and these are up to the horsemen.
Dr. Martin also commented that poor ventilation in the barn may have been a contributing factor, but I have to disagree with that. Proper ventilation is important for many reasons, but poor ventilation would not play a significant role in strangles transmission. The bacterium that causes strangles is primarily spread through direct contact (e.g. nose to nose).
- Strangles is always out there. It is widespread in horses and outbreaks can happen. Good routine infection control practices are needed to reduce the risks.
- Holding back information during disease investigations is a very bad idea. Good communication is the first step in an effective disease control response.
