EEHV Frequently Asked Questions
EEHV affects young elephants around the world and is deadly.
We’re working hard to find a solution, but there are still a lot of questions around the disease.
Below is a list of frequently asked questions around this complex virus and the work being done to stop more elephants from dying from this lethal disease.
Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) is a type of herpesvirus, which can cause a highly fatal haemorrhagic disease when transmitted to young Asian elephants. When there is enough virus present in the blood to create a positive diagnosis, or when symptoms start to show, it is normally too late to treat the disease.
EEHV doesn’t discriminate. Whether it’s an 18-month-old calf at a zoo, or the young of a herd in the wilds of Asia, EEHV can strike without warning. As well as the deaths we are aware of in zoos, EEHV is known to have caused deaths in at least eight countries across the Asian elephant range in the wild – including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia (Sumatra) and Myanmar. There are various strains of EEHV, which have affected young elephants.
Currently there is no vaccination against it as researchers have yet to be able to culture the virus which is necessary to create a vaccine and determine what drugs are most effective. Chester Zoo is at the forefront of ongoing international collaborative research into EEHV in the hope of a breakthrough that will ultimately enable us to tackle this global crisis. We are part of the global conservation community committed to researching EEHV and finding ways of improving outcomes for elephants and, ultimately, develop a preventative vaccine.