Survey of UK horse owners' knowledge of equine arboviruses and disease vectors



Chapman, Gail Elaine, Baylis, Matthew ORCID: 0000-0003-0335-187X and Archer, Debra C
(2018) Survey of UK horse owners' knowledge of equine arboviruses and disease vectors. VETERINARY RECORD, 183 (5). 159-+.

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Abstract

Increased globalisation and climate change have led to concern about the increasing risk of arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) outbreaks globally. An outbreak of equine arboviral disease in northern Europe could impact significantly on equine welfare, and result in economic losses. Early identification of arboviral disease by horse owners may help limit disease spread. In order to determine what horse owners understand about arboviral diseases of horses and their vectors, the authors undertook an open, cross-sectional online survey of UK horse owners. The questionnaire was distributed using social media and a press release and was active between May and July 2016. There were 466 respondents, of whom 327 completed the survey in full. High proportions of respondents correctly identified photographic images of biting midges (71.2 per cent) and mosquitoes (65.4 per cent), yet few were aware that they transmit equine infectious diseases (31.4 per cent and 35.9 per cent, respectively). Of the total number of respondents, only 7.4 per cent and 16.2 per cent correctly named a disease transmitted by biting midges and mosquitoes, respectively. Only 13.1 per cent and 12.5 per cent of participants identified specific clinical signs of African horse sickness (AHS) and West Nile virus (WNV), respectively. This study demonstrates that in the event of heightened disease risk educational campaigns directed towards horse owners need to be implemented, focussing on disease awareness, clinical signs and effective disease prevention strategies.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Animals, Horses, Humans, Arboviruses, Arbovirus Infections, Insect Bites and Stings, Horse Diseases, Cross-Sectional Studies, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Disease Outbreaks, Disease Vectors, Insect Vectors, Ownership, Adult, Middle Aged, Female, Male, United Kingdom
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 07 Jun 2018 09:27
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 01:32
DOI: 10.1136/vr.104521
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3022282