A case of Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) was confirmed on May 29th by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) national reference laboratory for a horse located on a farm in the municipal district of Squamish-Lillooet, in British Columbia.
The horse had been sampled by an accredited veterinarian at the owner’s request prior to moving the horse to another premise in Canada. No clinical signs of disease were noted at the time of sampling. A CFIA investigation is underway and as per program policy, a quarantine has been placed on the infected horse and its on-premises contact animals.
Initial reports indicate there are several equines on the affected premise. 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 policy.
