Equine Herpes virus outbreak

[ardie&sparki]

WSU is shut down and in quarantine as well now. Many of our local barns are shutting down also; worrying about overnight haul ins and those coming from shows.

 

[valshingle]

I just got this email regarding EHV-1 and Texas:

I Equine Herpesvirus Awareness

An outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) has been traced to horses that attended the National Cutting Horse Association’s (NCHA) Western National Championships in Odgen, UT on April 30 - May 8, 2011. Affected horses have been identified in Colorado. Additional states have possible cases pending and/or are looking for animals that attended the event and returned home.

Texas does not currently have any confirmed positives. The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has identified all horses that attended the show in Utah and are currently working on contacting the equine owners and advising them to isolate exposed horses for at least two weeks, follow good biosecurity practices and watch for possible clinical signs.

EHV-1 Information

Equine Herpes Virus is a common virus in equine populations worldwide. There are several strains of the virus, with EHV-1 and EHV-4 being most often involved in clinical disease. EHV-1 can cause respiratory disease, abortion and neurologic disease. The neurologic disease is sometimes referred to as Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM.) Although EHV-1 is highly contagious among horses, it does not pose a threat to human health.

Transmission

EHV is transmitted primarily by aerosol and through direct and indirect contact. Aerosol transmission occurs when infectious droplets are inhaled. The source of infectious droplets is most often respiratory secretions. In the case of abortions, virus may be present in the placenta, fetal membranes and fluid, and aborted fetuses.

Direct horse-to-horse contact is a common route of transmission of the virus, but indirect transmission is also important. This occurs when infectious materials (nasal secretions, fluids from abortions, etc.) are carried between infected and non-infected horses by people or fomites (inanimate objects such as buckets, etc).

Signs of EHV-1

Fever is one of the most common clinical signs and often precedes the development of other signs. Respiratory signs include coughing and nasal discharge. Abortions caused by EHV generally occur after 5 months of gestation. Neurologic signs associated with EHM are highly variable, but often the hindquarters are most severely affected. Horses with EHM may appear weak and uncoordinated. Urine dribbling and loss of tail tone may also be seen. Severely affected horses may become unable to rise.

It is important to remember that none of these signs are specific to EHV, and diagnostic testing is required to confirm EHV infection. Also, many horses exposed to EHV never develop clinical signs.

What to do if you suspect your horse has been exposed

If you suspect your horse has been exposed to EHV, contact your veterinarian. In general, exposed horses should be isolated and have their temperatures monitored twice daily for 10 days. If an exposed horse develops a fever or other signs consistent with EHV infection, diagnostic testing should be performed. Testing of healthy horses is generally not recommended.

Useful Links/Resources

· http://www.aqha.com/

· http://www.nchacutting.com/

· http://www.nchacutting.com/ag/shows/pdf/csu_20110515.pdf

· http://www.aaep.org/pdfs/control_guidelines/Equine%20Herpes%20Virus.pdf

· http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/

Yvonne "Bonnie" Ramirez

Director of Public Information

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I have a horse at a local trainer for conditioning. They are going to a show in Illinois this weekend. Although my horse isn't going, they will obviously be bringing their show horses home and he will then be around those horses that went to the show. Should I be concerned? Thoughts?

 

[wpsellwood]

I would be concerned Parmela. There isn't any vaccine for it. SCARY

 

[Crabby-Chicken]

I am rethinking showing the last two shows. I would never get over making them sick for a ribbon. I am going to wait and see....

 

[wpsellwood]

I am rethinking showing the last two shows. I would never get over making them sick for a ribbon. I am going to wait and see....

some are dying, this is just awful

 

[epetrilli]

This is a wide and rapidly spreading outbreak, it will not be out of the question to see a multi-state quarantine very soon. At this point if you are in Colorado, California, Texas, or Arizona I would not advise traveling with your horses unless necessary. There are other states affected however positive confirmation has not been made as of yet. Extensive genomic testing is currently being performed to identify this strain which is most closely related to EHV-1, or EHM, Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy.

The best possible thing for us to do as responsible horse owners is to be aware, get educated and stay informed Know that there is no vaccine, no real cure, and only very limited treatment options, so that leaves us with prevention and isolation. I encourage anyone who is concerned about their horses to contact your veterinarian or local state veterinary office who will have up to date information on this outbreak for your county. Please do not panic, or make any mal-informed decisions on treatment (or vaccination) without speaking to a Veterinary professional about this situation. Increased resistance of this strain will only make this disease stronger and the outbreak more severe.

Also note that some counties have already placed travel restrictions on all horses and livestock and suspended equine events, please contact your local coordinators prior to leaving for any planned shows or clinics.

Always better to be safe than sorry

I do have a very helpful PDF brochure on EHV EHM, however it is not allowing me to attach it here. Sorry, feel free to email me if you would like a copy.

Erin

APHIS equine_herpesvirus_brochure_2009.pdf

 

[JennyB]

I am rethinking showing the last two shows. I would never get over making them sick for a ribbon. I am going to wait and see....

I agree 100%...we were going to show a really nice yearling colt this year, but until I hear different we will not be hauling him about and having him get sick and maybe die for a few ribbons. This is where everyone needs to "think smart". Hopefully with all this publicity the vets-officials and such will get on top of this before anymore horses die

 

Jenny

 

[wpsellwood]

Thank you Erin for the information and keeping it in laymans terms.

 

[Sandy B]

As one vet said in regards to this outbreak: "there is no emergency horse show"!

There will always be another show, and many thanks to Erin for keeping us informed on this horrible virus.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

People keep repeating there is no vaccine... while its not perfect, nor is it awesome, but the anti-abortion rhino shots DO offer some protection. Don't ignore this option to have a little more safety.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

They are saying on FB now that to avoid interstate traveling as its rapidly spreading across the US and Canada. It is important to vaccinate your horses but the vaccine we have has been reported repeately that it does not protect the strain that is causing the deaths of these horses but will add protection for abortion in pregnant mares which is also a symptom in this disease. If you think your horse is at risk take its temp and if it goes over 102 then call the vet.

 

[Flying minis]

http://www.equinechronicle.com/breaking-news/recent-equine-herpesvirus-ehv-1-outbreak-what-you-need-to-know.html

Updated as of yesterday. Note that there are no mandatory travel restrictions in place ANYWHERE yet. While we all need to be cautious, we also need to use common sense. Don't travel if there's no need, but let's not all panic at this time. I keep reading posts saying this is quarantined, that one is quarantined, this state is restricted travel. . . please, if you don't know first hand, all that does is continue to scare people. Read the facts, make informed decisions, if you're in affected or potentially affected areas, don't travel.

We keep close contact with the state vets and their websites because my husband is a horse transport, currently on a trip, and we're trying to determine his next moves -

 

[epetrilli]

The information that I have posted is first hand, I work in Infectious Disease at Colorado State University and we have restricted movement of horses within our county and also a few others, as I stated previously you need to keep informed for your county. Our medical centers are operating on emergency status, all routine visits have been cancelled and all equine facilities have been placed on limited activity (ie no new horses in, only emergencies out). I agree it is not good to panic, but this needs to be taken seriously. We have limited quarantines in place and they are currently isolated to locations with positive cases, however as morbidity and mortality increase these will be moved up in status and it is very possible we will see entire states quarantined. All we are asking here is that people remain AWARE and Informed, this is how we will control this outbreak. It is not intended to scare anyone, but if you are in an infected area you know why there is a reason to pay attention to this.

I also want to address the vaccine concern and explain why it is stressed there is no vaccine for this strain. While EHV has many forms it is impossible for a single vaccine to cover each strain, and in the case of pneumabort and Rhino-flu you will get limited coverage from respiratory illness associated with EHV-1 and 4. Now, to address the concern expressed by Nathan, no one is intent on telling people that they should not do annual rhino-flu on your herd or pneumabort vaccinations on pregnant mares IF they have been routinely practiced. These vaccines will offer some support and protection from respiratory strains or flu-like symptoms and also from abortion due to EHV, however it is also very unsafe for people to panic and run out during an outbreak to vaccinate healthy horses in hopes to prevent this strain, as it simply will not work. Ultimately there is an increased risk of illness and loss when you use vaccines in that manner. Pregnant mares who have not been given the shots at monthly intervals (3,5,9 or your sequence of choice) can and often will abort if given the shots for the first time late in gestation. Healthy horses who have not been inoculated for general Rhino-flu previously could become immuno-compromised and mildly ill from a vaccine leading them to increased risk during the outbreak if exposed to this more severe strain. So if you would like to vaccinate against the other forms of EHV, I am certainly not telling anyone they can not, I would simply suggest that if you are concerned or feel impelled to do something you contact your veterinarian to get all the facts. If it is time for your herd to have their annual vaccines and this is when you would give them then by all means do not let this outbreak prevent that from happening, unless you see symptoms of illness currently then you should wait until all horses are healthy to vaccinate. Just note that this strain has no effective vaccine, other strains have limited vaccine effectiveness, if there was a magical cure or prevention to this then it would not be considered a severe outbreak. So please take the information being provided here as a tool for awareness and utilize any and all formal notices and information coming from the State and National Veterinary outlets. Do what is best for you and your horses in your area, but also be aware of surrounding states. Don't panic but instead remain informed and educated for your safety and your animals health. We all want this to be over and we have to work together to isolate the spread

I would also like to stress the importance of reporting to your veterinarian if you suspect you have been exposed, or if you feel you may have infected horses. It is very important that we are able to track this outbreak and treat any affected animals immediately.

 

[HGFarm]

Latest news from AZ is this is now affecting NINE states... and it is extremely contagious by any kind of contact- including flies. I heard it came down from Canada from some horses there. There have been a couple of deaths here- there are more horses in quarantine.

According to my vet, the vaccine for the regular rhino will not stop this- there is no vaccine for this, however the vaccine MAY lesson the severity of this. Lots of IV fluid, anti inflammatories, etc... ($$$) is necessary to attempt to save a horse that gets this. Ugly stuff.

We just had a show Sunday- and I am not going anywhere again at this point. However the year my horses got strangles I had not hauled anywhere and no other horses had stepped foot on my place, so I am assuming flies brought it in from another farm as I personally had not been anywhere either!

It's just nuts but apparently can sure travel..........

 

[Riverrose28]

How are the show barns/trainer barns being notified. They have horses comeing and going all the time, and not all of them read these posts. I personally had strangles come through here because of bringing horses home from a show farm. When we go to shows we always disinfect, but even then these nasty virus's can be carried on the bottom of someones shoes or in the air.

 

[Candi]

<br /><a href='http://www.equinechronicle.com/breaking-news/recent-equine-herpesvirus-ehv-1-outbreak-what-you-need-to-know.html' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>http://www.equinechr...ed-to-know.html</a><br /><br />Updated as of yesterday.  Note that there are no mandatory travel restrictions in place ANYWHERE yet.  While we all need to be cautious, we also need to use common sense.  Don't travel if there's no need, but let's not all panic at this time.  I keep reading posts saying this is quarantined, that one is quarantined, this state is restricted travel. . . please, if you don't know first hand, all that does is continue to scare people.  Read the facts, make informed decisions, if you're in affected or potentially affected areas, don't travel.  <br /><br />We keep close contact with the state vets and their websites because my husband is a horse transport, currently on a trip, and we're trying to determine his next moves -<br />

<br /><br /><br />
BRAVO!

There is SO MUCH panic it's crazy... though when you point out the panic and false-truths people get *crabby* and rather than admit they're getting emotional - they start attacking you saying "you must not care about your horse like they do" etc etc etc... Ignorant. Dumb.

Precaution is one thing. Emotional freak-outs are just plain stupid. We'll still be showing - just be diligent about it. We aren't cutters, and the facilities that we go to aren't setup to accommodate cutting/cattle events anyway. We've limited who we're accepting at our show barn for the next 2 weeks.

Breathe people - Breathe!

 

[Sandy B]

The information that I have posted is first hand, I work in Infectious Disease at Colorado State University and we have restricted movement of horses within our county and also a few others, as I stated previously you need to keep informed for your county. Our medical centers are operating on emergency status, all routine visits have been cancelled and all equine facilities have been placed on limited activity (ie no new horses in, only emergencies out). I agree it is not good to panic, but this needs to be taken seriously. We have limited quarantines in place and they are currently isolated to locations with positive cases, however as morbidity and mortality increase these will be moved up in status and it is very possible we will see entire states quarantined. All we are asking here is that people remain AWARE and Informed, this is how we will control this outbreak. It is not intended to scare anyone, but if you are in an infected area you know why there is a reason to pay attention to this.

I also want to address the vaccine concern and explain why it is stressed there is no vaccine for this strain. While EHV has many forms it is impossible for a single vaccine to cover each strain, and in the case of pneumabort and Rhino-flu you will get limited coverage from respiratory illness associated with EHV-1 and 4. Now, to address the concern expressed by Nathan, no one is intent on telling people that they should not do annual rhino-flu on your herd or pneumabort vaccinations on pregnant mares IF they have been routinely practiced. These vaccines will offer some support and protection from respiratory strains or flu-like symptoms and also from abortion due to EHV, however it is also very unsafe for people to panic and run out during an outbreak to vaccinate healthy horses in hopes to prevent this strain, as it simply will not work. Ultimately there is an increased risk of illness and loss when you use vaccines in that manner. Pregnant mares who have not been given the shots at monthly intervals (3,5,9 or your sequence of choice) can and often will abort if given the shots for the first time late in gestation. Healthy horses who have not been inoculated for general Rhino-flu previously could become immuno-compromised and mildly ill from a vaccine leading them to increased risk during the outbreak if exposed to this more severe strain. So if you would like to vaccinate against the other forms of EHV, I am certainly not telling anyone they can not, I would simply suggest that if you are concerned or feel impelled to do something you contact your veterinarian to get all the facts. If it is time for your herd to have their annual vaccines and this is when you would give them then by all means do not let this outbreak prevent that from happening, unless you see symptoms of illness currently then you should wait until all horses are healthy to vaccinate. Just note that this strain has no effective vaccine, other strains have limited vaccine effectiveness, if there was a magical cure or prevention to this then it would not be considered a severe outbreak. So please take the information being provided here as a tool for awareness and utilize any and all formal notices and information coming from the State and National Veterinary outlets. Do what is best for you and your horses in your area, but also be aware of surrounding states. Don't panic but instead remain informed and educated for your safety and your animals health. We all want this to be over and we have to work together to isolate the spread

I would also like to stress the importance of reporting to your veterinarian if you suspect you have been exposed, or if you feel you may have infected horses. It is very important that we are able to track this outbreak and treat any affected animals immediately.

Excellent Post!!!! You said it best "don't panic, but remain informed and educated..." I can say I have done a ton of research and made a lot of phone calls to get the best information I can find. I know that I do not want to take any chances infecting my horses of all sizes nor would I want to infect any one else's.

I find it rather amusing the amount of people with their head in the sand though in regards to still attending shows & events- that this virus is only affecting cutters. I guess cutting horses are pre-disposed to EHV-1? But heck I heard a barrel horse has it now too! Maybe its just quarter horses that get EHV-1?

I for one am glad that "most" people are taking this threat seriously! Lets nip it now before it affects all the larger events later this summer.

 

[Magic]

I had just gotten a phone call from my trainer before I read this thread, and he asked me if I had sent in entries to the show that is on the 28th and 29th of this month. I said I hadn't yet since I still have mares that haven't foaled, and he said "Then DON'T". The show is at that same facility in Ogden Utah.

I guess my Buckeroo grandson, who has been trained to drive and is getting close to his Halter Hall of Fame is going to have to wait a little while longer to get back out in the show ring. And this *was* going to be my year to really get back into showing, sigh....

 

[Sandy B]

<br /><br /><br />

BRAVO!

There is SO MUCH panic it's crazy... though when you point out the panic and false-truths people get *crabby* and rather than admit they're getting emotional - they start attacking you saying "you must not care about your horse like they do" etc etc etc... Ignorant. Dumb.

Precaution is one thing. Emotional freak-outs are just plain stupid. We'll still be showing - just be diligent about it. We aren't cutters, and the facilities that we go to aren't setup to accommodate cutting/cattle events anyway. We've limited who we're accepting at our show barn for the next 2 weeks.

Breathe people - Breathe!

Really? So cutters and cutting facilities are the only ones at risk, huh? And last I checked, my pulse is still beating and a nice slow 75 BPM and my skin is nice and pink, so I am breathing too. And I am not running down the street screaming "RHINO RHINO RHINO"

So I disagree with the "panic", "ignorant", "dumb" remark. Plus I guess I am missing the posts where people are "crabby and emotional and throwing out the you do not care about your horse" deal, nor have I seen any freak-outs. Now what I have seen is some very valuable information from some very knowledgeable people. As of now, it is your choice to be as informed as you want to be and to make decisions on how you would like to handle this recent deadly outbreak of EHV-1. If we do not take precautions, then we may be forced in to complying with government mandated ones and our choices are taken away.

Please people, just be informed and get your information from multiple respected sourses.