Romania/Germany: The Horse Epidemic | European Journal

Many Romanian horses are infected with a dangerous virus that causes a blood disease. It is transmitted by biting house and horse flies and illegal animal imports have caused the disease to spread throughout Europe.German horse ranches have already had to destroy dozens of animals. The epidemic has meanwhile already reached Belgium and Britain. The dealers who offer the Romanian horses at dumping prices use a variety of tricks to conceal the animals' origin. Experts estimate that 15 percent of the horses in Romania are infected. And the pathogen is tricky: the animals can carry it for years before it breaks out. But they are highly infectious the whole time.