African Horse Sickness in Asia

We have been supporting owners like Mr Ben Ban across Cambodia to help them provide care for their working ponies and prevent the spread of a potentially fatal disease.

Mr Ben Ban and his 91-year-old mother live in the Battambang province and rely on their pony Ah Krohorm to be able to go to work and provide for their family. After an outbreak of African Horse Sickness (AHS) in Thailand in February 2020, owners like Br Ban have been very worried that their horse might become sick and lose their life to the disease. There is no cure, so prevention really is vital.

With the support of the government’s Animal Health and Production department, our project team travelled to the border provinces of Cambodia and gave advice to owners on how to prevent the spread of AHS and how to recognise the signs and symptoms in their ponies.

Mr Ben Ban was one of the owners who was given help to cover Ah Krohorm’s stable with shade netting and insecticides to protect against insects that can carry AHS and infect healthy ponies.