Brazil: Glanders Case in Brazil Affects International Horse Transport

Thehorse.com - Full Article

by: Irene Stamatelakys
October 11 2008, Article # 12861

A case of glanders in a horse in a Sao Paulo, Brazil, has impacted international transport and competition in Brazil and abroad. Event organizers, equine transport companies, and governmental authorities are working closely together to keep horses moving while minimizing risks.

A horse in a university veterinary hospital was diagnosed with glanders on Sept. 3. While glanders is considered endemic in some northern and north-eastern areas of the country, this case occurred in the southeastern portion of Brazil. The contagious disease has been eradicated from many countries, including the United States, Canada and Western Europe.

As a result, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) moved to delay the Global Champions Tour CSI-5* Final show jumping competition in Sao Paulo to Oct. 15-19. The event was postponed to give competing European horses time to travel to Brazil following a meeting of European Union (EU) authorities on Oct. 2 to determine the re-import procedure for those horses due to the glanders case. Authorization has been granted for the event to be held and European horses will compete.

The Sao Paulo glanders case almost kept Brazilian competitors out of the World Endurance Championships (WEC) to be held in Malaysia on Nov. 6-9...

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