OIE: Equine influenza, Argentina

Information received on 05/04/2018 from Dr Ricardo Alfredo Maresca, Director Nacional de Sanidad Animal , Sanidad Animal, Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y calidad Agroalimentaria (SENASA), Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Summary

Report type	Immediate notification
Date of start of the event	20/03/2018
Date of confirmation of the event	23/03/2018
Report date	05/04/2018
Date submitted to OIE	05/04/2018
Reason for notification	Unexpected change in the distribution or increase in morbidity or mortality of a listed disease
Summary description	On March 20th, an outbreak was detected in the hippodrome of the city of Mendoza (province of Mendoza), with a morbidity rate close to 70%. Later on, similar outbreaks were registered in the hippodromes of San Isidro, La Plata (Buenos Aires), Palermo (Bue
Manifestation of disease	Clinical disease
Causal agent	Equine influenza virus
Serotype	Not typed
This event pertains to	the whole country
Outbreaks	There are no new outbreaks in this report

Epidemiology

Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection

Legal movement of animals
Contact with infected animal(s) at grazing/watering

Epidemiological comments

According to the investigation carried out after the first case was registered in Mendoza, a link was identified with the cases that occurred at the beginning of March 2018 in the locality neighboring El Barreal, in the province of San Juan. The contact of equines (mules and horses) with animals from Chile is frequent there during the moves to summer pastures that happen in areas of the Andes Mountains. The temporary association with the ongoing event in this country since January 2018 could suggest an epidemiological relation between both.

Increased Distribution

Areas and species recently affected by the disease

Totals	Species
No Values

Disease Impact

Increased	Totals	Species	Change
Morbidity	Buenos Aires	Equidae	1.0=>3.0
Morbidity	Chubut	Equidae	1.0=>3.0
Morbidity	San Juan	Equidae	1.0=>2.0
Morbidity	Mendoza	Equidae	1.0=>4.0

Control measures

Measures applied	Movement control inside the country Surveillance within containment and/or protection zone Traceability Quarantine Vaccination permitted (if a vaccine exists) No treatment of affected animals
Measures to be applied	No other measures

Diagnostic test results

Laboratory name and type

Directorate of laboratories and technical controls (SENASA) ( National laboratory )

Tests and results

Species	Test	Test date	Result
Equidae	real-time reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RRT-PCR)	23/03/2018	Positive

Future Reporting

The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will be submitted.