Press Release

USDA Releases Initial EHV-1 Situation Report

The American Horse Council and USDA released the following statement today. AHA is continuing to monitor the situation and will alert membership should any significant change happen. As the horse industry works through this incident, AHA continues to recommend that owners and event management consult their veterinarian or State Veterinarian for advice pertinent to each individual situation and location.

Glenn T. Petty
Executive Vice President
Arabian Horse Association




In response to the on-going Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) and Equine Herpes Virus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) disease incidents from an event in Ogden, Utah held from April 29 to May 8, 2011, USDA has compiled individual state EHV-1 reports and released the initial national EHV-1 situation report. A summary of the current situation is as follows:

• Owners of horses known to have been exposed in this incident have been contacted by State Animal Health Officials.
• Suspect and confirmed cases are reported to be under voluntary or state quarantine.
• Known exposed horses are reported to be under either voluntary or state quarantine.
• A total of 21 confirmed EHV-1 cases and 12 confirmed EHM cases have been reported in 8 states (CA, CO, ID, NM, OR, TX, UT, WA).
• Of the 33 total confirmed EHV/EHM cases, 32 cases are horses that were at the initial event.
• There are 7 horses associated with this incident that are dead or have been euthanized.

The complete USDA EHV-1 Situation Report is available here. The AHC anticipates USDA releasing the next national situation report at the end of next week. In the interim, the AHC stresses the importance of responsible ownership practices and informed communication among industry organizations. Please see the below links for additional information on EHV-1 transmission risks and disease mitigation strategies.

Additional Resources

USDA-APHIS website:
EHV information sheets, color brochures, historical information, a review of disease mitigation strategies, and an EHV-1 guidance document (which will be available later today) "Recommendations for Horses Exposed to EHV-1 or EHM" can be found on the USDA-APHIS website at the following link:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/

AAEP website:
General EHV resources through the American Association of Equine Practitioners:
http://www.aaep.org/ehv_resources.htm

Neurologic Disease Guidelines:
http://www.aaep.org/pdfs/control_guidelines/Neurologic%20Disease%20Guidelines.pdf

Equine Herpes Virus:
http://www.aaep.org/images/files/EquineHerpesvirusGuidelines051711.pdf

Biosecurity Guidelines:
http://www.aaep.org/pdfs/control_guidelines/Biosecurity_instructions%201.pdf

Biosecurity Instructions for Caretakers - English & Spanish:
http://www.aaep.org/pdfs/control_guidelines/Instructions%20to%20grooms.pdf

National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) website:
For history of the current outbreak and additional outreach materials:
http://www.nchacutting.com/

ACVIM Consensus Statement on EHV-1:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0304.x/pdf

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