Xinhua News Agency, Los Angeles, April 30 (Reporter Huang Heng) Several departments in Colorado, the United States confirmed on the 30th that an equine flu outbreak broke out at the Bureau of Land Management facility in Canon City. As of the 29th, 102 wild horses were temporarily kept in captivity. Death, preliminary investigation showed that the virus strain was H3N8 subtype.
The equine flu outbreak broke out on the 23rd of this month, and the dead wild horses came from the same breed.
The herd of wild horses was temporarily kept in captivity by the Colorado Bureau of Land Management after losing their habitat after a massive wildfire last year.
About 40% to 60% of them had symptoms of fever, runny nose and cough, and about 20% of horses from other breeds in the facility had similar symptoms.
Pneumonia, characterized by severe pulmonary edema and hemorrhage, was found at autopsy of horses, according to a joint investigation report submitted by multiple Colorado departments.
The state is working with the USDA to isolate and disinfect facilities with equine flu outbreaks and properly dispose of dead horses.
The Colorado Bureau of Land Management said that the H3N8 subtype influenza virus is not uncommon in wild and domestic horses, and the equine flu outbreak is not related to the recent outbreak of bird flu in many parts of the United States.
Equine flu is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can cause weakness and even death in horses.