STATE VETERINARIAN ENDS HORSE QUARANTINE ASSOCIATED WITH EQUINE HERPES OUTBREAK
Salt Lake City - All quarantined farms and facilities associated with the recent outbreak of the equine disease, Equine Herpes Virus–1 (EHV-1) have been released from quarantine. Utah veterinarians have seen no additional cases of EHV-1 in horses since the end of May. That has prompted State Veterinarian, Dr. Bruce King, to believe enough time has passed for most horses that may have been exposed to the virus traced to an Ogden horse show to have developed the disease. EHV-1 is not transmissible to humans.
Horse owners should feel free to participate in rodeos, horse shows, parades and other horse events with no more risk of contracting the disease than before the recent outbreak. Owners are encouraged to practice good biosecurity to help protect the industry.
The outbreak is believed to have originated at the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Western National Championships held in Ogden, Utah that ended on May 8, 2011. A number of horses both in Utah and around the country came down with the sometimes fatal disease shortly after the event. Private practice veterinarians and veterinarians with The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food's Division of Animal Industry confirmed
16 horses in Utah contracted the disease with two of the animals having to be humanely euthanized. A total of seven private farms or facilities in five counties were under quarantine while horses there were observed and tested for the disease.
"EHV-1 is a virus that is present in many horses, but remains dormant until triggered by stress or other circumstances," says Dr. King. "EHV was here before the Ogden event, and it will be here after the event," he added. Dr. King encourages horse owners to visit the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food's website at: www.ag.utah.gov/ for up-to-date information on proper biosecurity.
Fore more information, contact Dr. King at:
Bruce L. King, DVM
State Veterinarian
bking@utah.gov
801-538-7162
Posted: June 28, 2011