Many horses including the ones at Pegasus, an equine therapy program, have been quarantined this past week due to the outbreak of the herpesvirus among horses. Here's an update on the situation by TheHorse.com
"Three additional cases of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) were confirmed in California over the weekend, bringing the total number of cases in the current outbreak to eight, according to a statement from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
On Jan. 11 a gelding residing on a "large multidiscipline facility with no movement of horses on or off the property" tested positive for the debilitating virus. He was quarantined on the farm and is receiving veterinary care.
On Jan. 12 testing confirmed that two additional horses on the property were EHV-1-positive. Those horses were also isolated and quarantined on the same farm and are receiving veterinary attention. On Jan. 13, two additional horses on the premises tested positive for the virus.
Over the weekend, three additional cases were confirmed. New information from the CDFA indicates that only one horse has displayed neurologic signs; however, all eight have been quarantined on the property and are receiving veterinary attention.
"All exposed horses on the property are being monitored, and enhanced biosecurity measures have been implemented," the statement read. "The source of the outbreak has not been identified."
Further, an epidemiologic investigation into the outbreak showed that the current situation is in no way linked to any of the three EHV-1 outbreaks California saw in 2011, the statement noted.
Although it's not transmissible to humans, EHV-1 is highly contagious among horses and camelids, and it is generally passed from horse to horse via aerosol transmission (when affected animals sneeze/cough) and contact with nasal secretions. The disease can cause a variety of ailments in equines, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and myeloencephalopathy (EHM, the neurologic form).
Myeloencephalopathy is characterized by fever, ataxia (incoordination), weakness or paralysis of the hind limbs, and incontinence. Should a horse with potential EHV-1 exposure display any of the aforementioned clinical signs, a veterinarian should be called to obtain samples and test for the disease.
TheHorse.com will continue to provide updated information as it becomes available."
Source: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=19462
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