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UK EHV-1 risk ‘nearing normal levels’
EHV-1 spreads among horses through close contact and coughing.
British Equestrian issues update following the outbreak in Europe.

British Equestrian (BEF) has issued an important update on the equine herpes virus (EHV-1) outbreak circulating within Europe.

On Wednesday (7 April), the Federation said that EHV-1 risk in the UK is 'nearing normal levels'. However, equine health certificates will be required for UK gatherings ‘for the foreseeable future’.

It said its Infectious Diseases Action Group (EIDAG) had considered data over the last three years, concluding that the risk level ‘is now dropping towards the baseline number of cases seen in any other year’. 

Welcoming the news, BEF chief executive Jim Eyre said: “We know that EHV is endemic in this country, but the threat posed by the European outbreak was a cause for great concern. I’d like to thank the member bodies and all their riders, owners and grooms, who embraced and followed the protocols so readily and with such commitment."

EHV-1 is a fatal disease that spreads among horses through close contact and coughing. The virus transmits via clothing or other objects, but it is more likely to spread between horses within stables and enclosed buildings. 

The recent outbreak, which originated at a showjumping event in Valencia, has so far claimed the lives of 18 horses across Europe and led to the cancellation of several international events. 

A BEF spokesperson said: “The EIDAG encourages event organisers to continue to request that competitors complete a self-certification of equine health and freedom from disease contact form. However, the group anticipates that by 12 April, it may be possible to remove the current restriction that, to attend UK horse gatherings, horses must have been resident in this country for the last 28 days. 

“A new template will be circulated to British Equestrian’s member bodies to remove this restriction after 12 April, providing that the current disease risk level continues to fall.”

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RCVS Knowledge appoints Veterinary Evidence editor-in-chief

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence.

A world-renowned expert in evidence-based veterinary medicine, Prof Cockcroft will lead the strategic development and editorial quality of the open-access journal. He was previously in the role from 2017-2020.

Katie Mantell, CEO of RCVS Knowledge, said: "We are excited about the extensive knowledge of evidence-based veterinary medicine and clinical veterinary research that Peter brings, and we look forward to working with him over this next phase of the journal's development." 

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CVS Group hit by cyber attack

CVS Group, which owns more than 450 veterinary practices in the UK, has been hit by a cyber attack.

In a statement, the group said the incident involved unauthorised external access to a limited number of its IT systems. As soon as the attack was discovered, the group took its IT systems temporarily offline, causing 'considerable operational disruption'.

It has warned that the security steps taken and ongoing plans to move its operational systems and IT infrastructure to the Cloud are likely to have an ongoing impact over a number of weeks.

Due to the risk that personal information was accessed, CVS has informed the Information Commissioner's Office. The company is working with third party consultants to investigate the incident.