NEW DELHI, 8th November, 2024 (WAM) – The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has conferred the status of a global Reference Laboratory for Equine Piroplasmosis on the Indian Council of Agricultural Research: National Research Centre on Equines.
Equines is the collective name for horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules. The WOAH designation will help enhance India’s scientific capabilities and diagnostic infrastructure in tackling critical animal health challenges, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying here said.
India has slightly in excess of half a million equines of which the number of horses is 340,000. “The WOAH Reference Laboratory status not only affirms India’s adherence to the highest international standards in research and diagnostics but also reinforces India’s contributions to global animal health,” the Ministry said in a statement.
It will help in international collaborations, providing advanced diagnostic services, sharing technical expertise, and leading research initiatives on equine piroplasmosis.
Equine piroplasmosis is a blood-borne disease spread primarily by ticks and mortality rates for infected horses can reach 50 percent, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.