Working Equids: The Impact of Infectious Disease

Despite the enormous positive impact of these horses and donkeys, their health isn’t always a top priority for owners.
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Most of the horses and donkeys in the world live with and work for people of limited means. The impact of these animals on the lives of poor people is enormous and global. Working equids reduce poverty, provide food security, and help promote gender equity for much of the “bottom billion” of the world’s growing population.

Despite these critical roles, somehow the world has largely forgotten these animals. We don’t even properly count them; the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s estimate of the global equine population, at approximately 113 million, is widely regarded as a gross underestimate because of their routine omission from census data. Despite the enormous positive impact of these horses and donkeys on people, humanity frequently fails to prioritize their health.

An international Havemeyer Workshop report published in the January 2015 Equine Veterinary Journal described strategies to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in working equids worldwide. The task is daunting and the solutions needed are diverse. Technical solutions such as new diagnostic tests and vaccines represent only a part of the answer, as there are extensive social-behavioral and institutional barriers to overcome.

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