The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) announced Aug. 18 that two potentially deadly equine diseases—equine infectious anemia (EIA) and West Nile virus (WNV)—have been confirmed in horses in that state.

EIA—The Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (KSVDL) notified the KDA Division of Animal Health (DAH) that a horse in Finney County has tested positive for EIA. The facility was quarantined and all the exposed horses were tested, with five more testing positive. Since the disease is not curable, the affected horses will be euthanized. The remaining horses at the facility will be observed and retested in 60 days.

Equine infectious anemia is a viral disease that attacks horses’ immune systems. The virus is transmitted through the exchange of body fluids from an infected to a noninfected animal, often by blood-feeding insects such as horseflies, and more rarely through the use of blood-contaminated instruments or needles.

There are typically a small number of cases of EIA in the United States every year, although the disease is common in other parts of the world. The disease is controlled in the United States by regular testing before traveling across state lines and/or exhibition. A Coggins test screens horses’ blood for antibodies that are indicative of the presence of EIA