EHV-1 Disease Update as of 8am 5/18/2011
10 confirmed cases of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy caused by EHV-1.
- All Confirmed Cases are Cutting Horses who participated in the Odgen, Utah National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships
- The positive confirmed cases are located in the following counties: Amador(1), Kern (2), Napa (1), Stanislaus(4), and Placer (2).
- One positive horse was euthanized after showing severe neurological signs associated with the disease while at the Kern County Cutting Horse Event on May 13 in Bakersfield, CA
- A second positive horse was transported from the Bakersfield event on May 13 to University of California Davis and is undergoing treatment.
- All positive confirmed cases will be placed under quarantine.
Currently there is no evidence of EHV-1 disease spread outside the cutting horses who participated in the Odgen, Utah event.
Biosecurity Recommendations for horses who attended the Odgen, Utah Event or the Bakersfield, CA event
- Isolate exposed horse a minimum of 30 feet away from all other horses (round pen if necessary) for 21 days
- Monitor temperature twice a day for 14 days.
- Immediately report temperatures over 102F to your private veterinarian.
- Use separate equipment, bucket, halters/leads for isolated horse.
- Use protective clothing when handling isolated horse- coveralls, boot covers, gloves. Do not use same clothing with other horses
- Ideally, use separate personnel for isolated horses.
- Restrict movement.
Key to limiting disease spread is Isolation of sick horses. Sick horses are shedding virus and should be removed from exposing additional horses.
California Department of Food and Agriculture is working with animal Health officials in the western states to investigate the source of the disease outbreak.
