Saudi Arabia achieves official WOAH recognition as free of dourine, bolstering its equine industry and international credibility

The World Organisation for Animal Health has recognised Saudi Arabia as free of dourine, a contagious equine disease, highlighting the country’s improved veterinary system and supporting its ambitions to host international horse racing events.

The World Organisation for Animal Health has formally recognised Saudi Arabia as free of dourine, a contagious equine disease that can be fatal, according to the Saudi Press Agency and the Kingdom’s animal health authorities.

The decision followed WOAH’s review of a technical dossier prepared by the National Centre for the Prevention and Control of Plant Pests and Animal Diseases, known as Weqaa. The submission set out the Kingdom’s surveillance system, field inspection work and preventive controls across its regions, the agency said.

WOAH defines dourine as a sexually transmitted disease affecting horses, donkeys and other equids, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma equiperdum. The organisation says there is no vaccine and that control depends on the removal of infected animals.

Saudi officials said the recognition reinforces the veterinary system and supports the country’s equine industry, including its ambition to host international championships and expand horse racing. It also adds to a series of recent WOAH disease-free classifications for the Kingdom. The organisation declared Saudi Arabia free of equine viral arteritis this year and, last year, recognised it as free of glanders, equine anaemia and African horse sickness.

For Riyadh, the ruling is both a public-health validation and a commercial signal: a stronger disease-control record can help underpin investment, event hosting and international confidence in the country’s horse sector.