According to reports, a horse that was euthanized in Devon because of an unusual illness has not transmitted the disease to two other horses that lived on the same grounds. After the horse contracted equine infectious anemia
(EIA), the two horses were examined by the vets.

The disease crops up in marshy areas and spreads through an insect bite. Over the last 30 years, there have been just a few instances of the ailment in the UK.

Donkeys and mules can be affected by the disease and it can prove to be lethal.

In Wiltshire, during the month of January, two imported horses were put down after they were tested positive for the disease. In September, a horse imported from the Netherlands into Northumberland was euthanized.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has put the Devon site under observance. It is said that it would remain under restrictions till three months, when the animals will be tested once again for the disease.

Nigel Gibbens, Defra Chief Veterinary Officer, said, "Minimizing the risk of spread has been Defra's primary concern from the outset. Our assessment is that the risk is very low as the horse had only recently become ill”.