Equine influenza is a highly contagious respiratory disease that causes significant suffering and disruption to horses. Vaccination is highly effective and represents a fundamental welfare responsibility for horse owners.
Equine influenza causes genuine suffering — horses with clinical disease are profoundly lethargic, have persistent coughs that persist for weeks, and experience the systemic illness and fatigue associated with high fever. Secondary bacterial pneumonia causes additional severe welfare harm. Outbreaks in unvaccinated populations spread rapidly and are difficult to contain. Vaccination is safe, effective, and prevents this entirely avoidable suffering. Horse owners who fail to vaccinate impose disease risk on their own animals and on every horse their animals contact.