EHV-1, Equine herpes virus

[katrina]

http://blogs.equisearch.com/horsehealth/2011/05/16/nebraska-quarantine-equine-herpes-virus-ehv/

Nebraska State Authorities Quarantine Five Horse Farms as Precautionary Move Against Equine Herpes VirusMay 16, 2011
A day that began with show cancellations and a vet school hospital closing is ending with a state government quarantining horse farms even though there are no signs of disease. The unfolding saga of the possible cutting horse dispersal EHV outbreak is challenging everyone from horse owners to farriers and all the way up to state government officials.

This evening, the State of Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced a precautionary move that is the most dramatic since Colorado announced the first definite diagnosis of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) on Friday afternoon. Two horses in Colorado's Weld County had been at a National Cutting Horse Association event in Ogden, Utah over Mother's Day weekend, where they and other horses are believed to have been infected with the neurologic form of EHV.

After evaluating the situation, Nebraska State Veterinarian Dr. Dennis Hughes has placed five horse premises in his state under quarantine.

"The horse premises that are quarantined in Nebraska may have come into contact with infected horses during the National Cutting Horse Association's Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah," said Dr. Hughes. "We are acting quickly to take appropriate measures to protect our horse industry. Our staff is working with the quarantined horse premise owners to monitor for signs associated with the disease."

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture is encouraging all horse owners to follow these four biosecurity measures on their operations:

require individuals to wash their hands before and after contact with each horse;
avoid contact with other horses;
disinfect boots and change clothes that come into contact with other people's horses;
isolate horses returning from shows for 2-3 weeks.
Horse owners can contact Nebraska authorities or monitor more announcements on the Nebraska Department of Agriculture web site.



by Fran Jurga
© The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com
Be friends with Fran Jurga on Facebook.com


Posted in biosecurity, disease, quarantine, veterinary, virus | Tagged biosecurity. virus, cutting horse, Dennis Hughes, Department of Agriculture, disease, EHV, EHV-1, Equine herpes virus, Equisearch, Fran Jurga, herpesvirus, NCHA, Nebraska, Ogden, outbreak, quarantine, State Veterinarian, The Jurga Report, Type 1, Utah, western states | 1 Comment
One Response to "Nebraska State Authorities Quarantine Five Horse Farms as Precautionary Move Against Equine Herpes Virus"
Roundup of Equine Herpes Virus News: State, Provincial, Veterinary Updates says:
May 18, 2011 at 10:54 am
[...] On May 16, The Jurga Report published excerpts from a press release stating that the state of Nebraska was pre-emptively quarantining five horse premises in that state where horses

 

[cure]

This is a bad bug already killed 8 horses here in Ut our local school was going to have their high school rodeo this weekend but decided to cancel till they get things under control.

 

[per]

Little Britches Rodeo in High River Alberta as well as any horse participation in the parade are cancelled for this weekend. Seems a widespread concern.

 

[Silver]

A friend of mine from here was competing at Ogden, sure shows you how these things can get around the continent.

 

[Northern Rancher]

There are still three Waldorf horses down just across the line in Montana-I sure wish they were here.

 

[Anonymous]

Heres another article:

Fatal horse virus reported in West, Canada



By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press

Cache Valley Daily (UT) - May 17, 2011



BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Horse owners and organizations nationwide are watching anxiously and some are shutting down shows and other events in an effort to keep a deadly horse virus outbreak that began in Utah from spreading beyond a handful of Western states and Canada.



So far, at least 17 horses in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, California, Washington and Canada have been infected with the highly contagious Equine Herpes Virus-1, and at least three have died. The disease poses no threat to people but is easily spread among horses, alpacas and llamas because it can be airborne and transmitted by touch or by sharing feed, brushes, bits and other equipment.



The infected horses were among roughly 400 that attended the National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah, earlier this month.



Now, officials in several states are quarantining infected animals and asking owners of other horses that were at the event to closely monitor the animals for symptoms. Organizers also are cancelling horse shows and classes in Texas, Utah and elsewhere in an effort to stem the disease's spread.



The outbreak has horse owners across the West worried, said Preston Skaar, president of the Idaho Cutting Horse Association.



"It's a hard deal, but all you can do is have your horses stay home and wait it out," he said.



Skaar took one horse to compete at the Utah event and then brought it back to his property in Menan, Idaho, where it lives with 12 other horses. So far, he said, none of the animals have shown any signs of illness, but he's starting each day earlier so he can take their temperature and check for fever, gait problems and other symptoms of the virus.



Infected horses can appear perfectly healthy until they get stressed and the virus takes hold, he said - so none of the horses are being ridden unless absolutely necessary.



"I was kind of bummed out that I didn't make the finals (at the Ogden competition), but I'm not feeling quite as bad about it now," Skaar said. "That kept my horse from getting more stressed and fatigued, and maybe that helped."



Officials with the National Cutting Horse Association couldn't be immediately reached, but a statement on the group's website said members are closely monitoring the situation and that all NCHA-approved shows scheduled for this weekend have been canceled by the affiliates or show producers putting on the events.



"The NCHA appreciates this proactive move by show producers in a nationwide show of precaution and solidarity," the group said. "While reported cases of the virus are currently in Western states, the interstate transport of infected horses could cause a much wider spread of the virus if we are not all very cautious at this time."



Cutting competitions - in which horses and riders are judged on their cattle-handling skills - involve quarter horses or other stock-horse breeds. But all horses are susceptible to the virus.



Idaho Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Pam Juker said 26 horses from Idaho were at the Utah event. Of those, two have died of the disease and at least six others were infected, state veterinarian Bill Barton said.



All of the Idaho owners have voluntarily quarantined their animals, Barton said, and they're being told to take precautions such as disinfecting things that come into contact with the animals and limiting contact between horses.



Colorado, which has had two confirmed cases of the virus, is now requiring permits for any horses being brought into the state. One of the two horses was so ill it had to be euthanized, officials said.



The outbreak also has prompted Colorado State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital to ban all non-emergency appointments for horses as a precaution. The university's Equine Sciences Center has cancelled two riding clinics and temporarily restricted horses from entering or leaving the campus.



Washington state veterinarian Leonard Eldridge said a horse that was treated at the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Pullman tested positive for the virus. Testing is being done on several other horses in the state that also attended the Utah event.



Oregon has no reported cases of the virus but is keeping an eye on 18 horses that attended the championships, said Oregon Department of Agriculture spokesman Bruce Pokarney.



Nebraska's state veterinarian has placed five horse farms under quarantine because they had horses that attended the competition. And officials in Montana are asking the owners of about 35 horses that attended the event to watch for any signs of the disease.



In Utah, the Bureau of Land Management announced it is postponing its 13th annual Wild Horse and Burro Festival until August because of the outbreak...



more

http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/local/Fatal-horse-virus-reported-in-West-Canada-122116954.html

As of this morning the Montana Vet was saying that while they had horses exposed they have yet to see that any were infected...

Montana horse owners who attended the event, or who have horses that share facilities with horses that attended the event, should carefully monitor the health of their horses for signs of the disease and/or any unusual behavior. Horse owners who suspect a problem should immediately contact their local veterinarian.

"We're hopeful that no Montana horses were infected," said state veterinarian, Dr. Marty Zaluksi. "The incubation period is typically 2-14 days, so we may be in the clear."

Sixteen horse owners and 30-35 horses from Montana attended the event. No cases of the disease have been reported within the state.