African Horse Sickness

Dr Paul van Dam from Onderstepoort writes:
As a regular contributor to and active supporter of SA Horseman, I believe it is of utmost importance that the information made available to our readers is accurate and valuable. Reading the article 'Coping with AHS' in the September 2011 issue, therefore was somewhat of an unpleasant experience.

First of all, let me state clearly that I have no objection against the use of alternative treatments in an attempt to make coping with AHS easier for our horses. I also appreciate that the article starts off with the advice that owners should consult a veterinarian and should always be careful to 'first do no harm'.

But I must object to the following statements in the article:

• "The horse must not be stressed in any way, including transport, tubing, exercising and the injection process." Sure, rest is important (as stated in the article), and one should avoid transport and exercise if at all possible. Advice to avoid both tubing and 'the injection process', however, is out of place. Horse owners should not be steered away from veterinarians and veterinary medicine.
• "Honey is a very effective natural antibiotic and helps against secondary bacterial infections such as biliary". Sure, in some horses biliary is a complication when they suffer from AHS. But biliary is NOT a bacterial infection, and antibiotics (whether commercial or natural products) have no effect against biliary whatsoever!
• "Marijuana has been used as a pain and stress reliever". Last time I checked, the possession of marijuana (or dagga) was illegal. We should not advocate the use of substances linked to drug abuse in humans.
• "PC1 stimulates antigens (key proteins) to recognise and produce appropriate antibodies so that the immune system can identify the viruses". It is clear that the author has little knowledge of how the immune system works. Simplified, an antigen is a substance foreign to the body (such as AHS-virus), which is recognised as such by the immune system, resulting in the production of antibodies against this antigen by the body.

There is more than enough misinformation available on the internet and in brochures published by unscrupulous companies and individuals who want to make money out of desperate horse owners. SA Horseman needs to make sure that it does not add to this.

Izak writes:
I would like to point out that this article tried to reflect what is available out there. It was not intended to pass a value judgement. We strongly believe in publishing as much information as possible, thus allowing the reader to make informed choices. Therefore we also welcome letters such as these, which add to the value of our publication and gives our readers the information they need to care for their horses.