Where to Find Reliable Equine Disease Alerts: A Global Surveillance Guide for Equine Vets
When a horse comes home from a show with a fever or vague neurological signs, you don’t have hours to dig through social media threads or outdated websites. You need accurate, real-time infectious disease information – and you need it immediately.
EHV-1, equine influenza, strangles, West Nile virus and other pathogens move fast. And with horses travelling more than ever, outbreaks in another state – or another country – can become your problem within days.
The challenge? Reliable equine surveillance data is scattered across dozens of platforms, all with different purposes, update schedules, and levels of authority.
This guide brings everything together for you.
It’s a global, clinician-focused map of the surveillance systems that matter: national reporting hubs, laboratory networks, international alert systems, competition-horse notifications, and the global aggregators such as the International Collating Centre (ICC) featured in the UK surveillance framework
You’ll know exactly where to look, what each platform provides, and when to use it – whether you’re assessing a yard outbreak, advising a stud, preparing a horse for travel, or simply needing verified information before speaking with clients.
Why You Should Bookmark This Equine Surveillance Resource
Outbreaks rarely happen at convenient times. They happen at 8 p.m. on a Friday, in the middle of a busy call-out day, or when you’re already managing three other sick horses.
This article is built to be your quick, reliable reference in those moments – so you can immediately check:
- What’s circulating locally, nationally, or internationally
- Which alerts are verified and from which authority
- Where to report cases
- How to access real-time dashboards, maps, and text alerts
- Which systems provide the fastest, most trustworthy updates
In a time of crisis, clarity saves time, reduces confusion, and improves decision-making for both you and your clients.
Bookmark this page now.
When the next EHV-1 cluster appears, when a trainer asks, “Are these strangles going around?”, or when a client needs to know current risks, this guide will give you everything you need in seconds, not hours.
Global Surveillance Systems Every Equine Vet Should Be Monitoring
Equine infectious diseases don’t respect borders. Horses travel for sales, competitions, breeding and training – and pathogens often move with them. While regional systems provide the most relevant local alerts, global platforms give equine veterinarians early warning of emerging threats, track international spread, and support decision-making around biosecurity, travel, and client communication.
Below are the most reliable and clinically relevant global surveillance tools to include in your routine monitoring.
Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance (EIDS)
EIDS is the UK’s central intelligence hub for equine infectious diseases, combining diagnostic lab data, epidemiological analysis, and national reporting. It’s invaluable when you need reliable, clinically verified information about what is circulating across the UK, including influenza, strangles, and herpesviruses. Vets can use EIDS to guide outbreak management, check current national trends, and access expert advice on disease control.
International Collating Centre (ICC)
The ICC provides near-daily global outbreak notifications, drawing data from the USA (EDCC), France (RESPE), Canada (CAHSS), UK (EIDS) and more. It’s ideal for vets managing horses that travel internationally or work in sports environments, where early signals from abroad can influence local risk assessments, quarantine decisions, or client communication.
EquiFluNet
EquiFluNet specialises in equine influenza surveillance, offering interactive mapping, outbreak timelines and global strain monitoring. Use this tool during flu season, for vaccinated horses showing respiratory signs, or when assessing EI vaccine efficacy in your region.
Surveillance of Equine Strangles (SES)
SES provides laboratory-confirmed strangles case data across the UK. This platform helps vets identify regional clusters, understand current transmission trends, and advise clients about biosecurity and horse movement when strangles is circulating.
Tell-Tail Alerts (Boehringer Ingelheim)
Tell-Tail sends real-time SMS alerts to vets about infectious disease outbreaks such as influenza and other notifiable equine pathogens. It is perfect for clinicians who want immediate updates without needing to check websites or dashboards.
HBLB Influenza PCR Scheme
This scheme provides free influenza PCR testing for eligible cases and feeds results into national surveillance. It’s especially useful when cost is a barrier for clients or when you suspect vaccine breakthrough cases and need rapid confirmation.
Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC)
EDCC is the USA’s primary real-time equine outbreak alert system. It offers concise, verified updates for EHV-1/EHM, strangles, influenza, WNV, piroplasmosis, vesicular stomatitis, and more. Use EDCC when assessing local risk, advising clients about travel, or checking if similar cases have recently appeared in your region.
USDA–APHIS Equine Health Surveillance
APHIS provides the official federal reporting of notifiable equine diseases such as EIA, piroplasmosis, VS and WNV. It is essential for vets dealing with regulatory cases, movement restrictions, breeding operations, or pre-purchase assessments that require validated disease status.
US State Departments of Agriculture
Many states like California, Colorado and Florida publish faster and more detailed outbreak notices than national bodies. These updates are indispensable for vets working near state borders, supporting competition horses, or monitoring early local disease activity before national alerts are issued.
Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System (CAHSS) – Equine Network
CAHSS provides unified national reporting of equine infectious diseases including EI, EHV-1, strangles, WNV and EIA. The platform is especially valuable during seasonal disease spikes or when assessing interprovincial travel risks. Canadian data regularly contributes to global systems like the ICC.
Animal Health Australia (AHA)
AHA coordinates national emergency animal disease reporting and preparedness. Vets use AHA to stay informed about suspected or confirmed cases of EHV-1 neurologic disease, equine influenza surveillance, and national biosecurity alerts, especially when advising studs or high-movement facilities.
Wildlife Health Australia (WHA)
WHA monitors wildlife – horse interface diseases, particularly Hendra virus spillover risk. For practitioners in Queensland or New South Wales, this is a critical tool for evaluating local risk, advising on vaccination, and planning safe fieldwork protocols.
WOAH / WAHIS (World Organisation for Animal Health)
The world’s authoritative database for notifiable animal diseases, including EHV-1, EI, EIA, WNV and glanders. This platform is essential for vets dealing with international travel, pre-export exams, or clients importing horses.
GLEWS+ (FAO–WHO–WOAH Joint Early Warning System)
GLEWS+ integrates global human, animal and environmental disease signals. Vets can use it to monitor early warnings for arboviruses (WNV, EEE, JEV) or novel strains with equine implications.
HealthMap (Boston Children’s Hospital)
A global real-time outbreak map that pulls from thousands of data sources. Useful for recognising early patterns in equine and zoonotic disease spread before formal reporting systems publish alerts.
ProMED (International Society for Infectious Diseases)
ProMED’s veterinary section highlights unusual clusters, emerging pathogens, toxic syndromes, and arbovirus activity worldwide. Great for early intelligence and expert commentary during evolving situations.
RESPE (France)
France’s real-time equine disease surveillance network. RESPE is a major contributor to global data (including ICC) and is particularly valuable during outbreaks in European horses that travel internationally.
FEI Veterinary Department – Disease Information
Publishes disease alerts relevant to international competition horses. Critical for vets supporting FEI-level athletes, pre-travel assessments, or events with strict biosecurity obligations.
Equine infectious disease surveillance is no longer a “nice-to-have” resource – it’s an essential part of everyday equine practice. With horses moving nationally and internationally for breeding, racing, competition and sales, outbreaks can spread quickly and unpredictably.
As this article shows, veterinarians now have access to a wide ecosystem of surveillance tools: national reporting centres, laboratory networks, global alert systems, FEI competition notices, and specialised platforms for influenza, strangles, neurological EHV-1, Hendra virus and more.
Each system plays a different role. Some give immediate alerts (EDCC, Tell-Tail), some provide deep epidemiological context (EIDS, ICC), and others offer official regulatory confirmation (APHIS, WOAH/WAHIS). Together, they form a comprehensive map of emerging threats – locally, regionally, and worldwide.
By knowing which platform to consult and when, equine vets can move faster, make clearer decisions, and communicate with greater confidence during times of uncertainty.
Conclusion
Infectious disease outbreaks rarely give you warning – and they never happen at convenient times. But having the right surveillance tools at your fingertips means you’re never starting from zero. Whether you’re assessing a febrile post-competition horse, advising a stud manager, preparing a travel certificate, or calming a worried client, this guide gives you immediate access to the data that matters most.
Bookmark this resource.
Share it with your team.
Refer back to it when the next EHV-1 alert drops, when strangles cases begin clustering in your region, or when a client asks whether it’s safe to move their horse.
In a profession where quick, informed decisions can protect entire yards, reliable surveillance isn’t just useful – it’s clinical armour.
