On July 20, 2018, a positive EIA result was confirmed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA’s) national reference laboratory for a horse on a premises in the rural municipality of Great Bend, Saskatchewan. The horse had been sampled by an accredited veterinarian to satisfy a pre-entry requirement for a particular premises.
Initial reports indicate that this horse has traveled extensively within the province for both work and competition. 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 animal and its on-premises contact animals. 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 might require the CFIA to undertake actions at additional premises as outlined in the current program policy.
