A Deadly Virus From Africa Is Killing Horses in Thailand
- Equine outbreak fuels calls to regulate global wildlife trade
- 70% of emerging infectious diseases in humans are from animals
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When horses suddenly started dying in Thailand as the nation locked down to stem the spread of Covid-19, researchers feared the cause was another deadly bat-borne virus that could kill humans.
“We had no idea what was causing it,” said Nopadol Saropala, owner of a horse farm about 100 miles from the Thai capital, who lost 18 horses in nine days. “We found out later that it came from zebras that were apparently in transit to China.”
More than 500 horses have died since the outbreak appeared in late February. Blood samples analyzed in England in March confirmed it was African horse sickness, a viral disease not known to harm humans but which is widespread among equines, including zebras, in Africa. The illness, spread by biting midges, hadn’t broken out in Asia in more than 50 years.