HEALTH ALERT:
POSITIVE CASE OF EQUINE INFECTIOUS ANEMIA CONFIRMED IN ALBERTA

An Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)-affected premises has been identified in the province of Alberta. Please note that the following information is in addition to what the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) already communicates to stakeholders which includes:

• Notification to the relevant provincial veterinary service of any newly affected premises
• Monthly Federally Reportable Disease updates on the CFIA website (10th of each month), which includes the number of affected premises as well as individual animal cases
• Communications with the owners or persons directly involved in the case, as outlined in the current EIA program policy

On Feb. 6, 2019, a positive EIA result was confirmed by the CFIA’s national reference laboratory for a horse located on a premises in Red Deer County, AB. The horse had been sampled by the CFIA to comply with export conditions and no clinical signs of the disease were reported at the time of sampling.

A CFIA investigation is underway and as per program policy, a quarantine has been placed on the infected animal and its on-premises contact animals. Initial reports indicate that there are several equines on the premises. The quarantine will remain until all disease response activities have been completed, including follow-up testing and ordering the destruction of positive cases.

Trace-out activities may require the CFIA to undertake actions at additional premises as outlined in the current program policy.

More details on EIA may be found on the CFIA website.

EC Media Contact / Personne-ressource de CE pour les médias : Jessie Christie
jchristie@equestrian.ca