Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), also known as Swamp Fever, is a viral equine disease that is very contagious between horses, persists throughout the entire life of its victims, and can be fatal. Though the Coggins test does check horses' blood for the disease and there may be a second vaccine on the way (see note), there are no known cures. The virus has three stages: The acute stage, chronic (or subacute) stage, and carrier (or inapparent) stage. The acute stage is the most dangerous and claims up to 30% of its victims' lives. Though one can't do much once a horse has been infected, one can check their horse for symptoms of the acute and chronic stage (the carrier stage has no symptoms) to ensure the health of neighboring horses. Note: The Chinese have used their 'Chinese Live Attenuated EIA vaccine' on horses since 1983 for preventing infection of EIA, and there is another vaccine underway in the US. However, many health organizations do not accept either vaccine nor trust them as effective.
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