This message is from: Gail Russell <[email protected]>
Equine Herpes Virus
Alert
California EHV-1 Causing EHM Disease Update as of 12 pm 5/25/2011
California has no new confirmed cases of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy
(EHM) caused by EHV-1 since our May 23rd update. There continues to be 18
confirmed EHM cases in the state.
* The positive confirmed cases are located in the following 12 counties:
Amador(1), Glenn(2), Kern(2), Los Angeles(1), Marin(1), Napa(1), Placer (3),
Plumas(1), Sacramento (1), Shasta(1), Stanislaus(3) and Ventura(1).
* Sixteen(16) of the confirmed positive EHM CA cases participated in the
National Cutting Horse Association's Western National Championships in Ogden,
Utah.
* Two (2) of the confirmed positive EHM CA cases participated only in the
Kern County Cutting Horse Event on May 13th in Bakersfield, CA.
* One confirmed positive EHM horse was euthanized after showing severe
neurological signs associated with EHM.
* All positive confirmed EHM cases are under a State Quarantine.
California Department of Food and Agriculture is working with animal Health
officials in the western states to monitor the disease outbreak and
investigate the source of the disease outbreak.
Disease reports in California continue to be limited to horses exhibited at
the National Cutting Horse Association's Western National Championships (NCHA)
held at the Golden Spike Event Center in Ogden, Utah from April 30th to May 8,
2011 and the Kern County Cutting Event in Bakersfield, CA on May 13, 2011.
CDFA has quarantined all infected horses and continues to advise that horses
returning from those events and horses that have subsequently come into
contact with returning horses avoid moving from their home premises until
California has gone 14 days without a new case of EHM.
Recommendations for Horse Show/Event Managers
Regarding EHV-1 Biosecurity Procedures
(These biosecurity guidelines have been developed, based on currently
available information, by CDFA veterinarians and the faculty at the School of
Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, to minimize the risk
of transmission of infectious diseases at public equestrian events. If the
situation changes, these and other guidelines will be modified as
appropriate.)
When the current EHV-1 outbreak began, horse owners were initially advised to
avoid nonessential transport of their animals to reduce the risk of exposure
to, or spread of the virus among, the horse population. Now that we have
obtained more information through ongoing testing, reporting and monitoring,
we have concluded that the EHV-1 infection outbreak is centered around horses
that were present at the National Cutting Horse Association's Western National
Championships (NCHA) held at the Golden Spike Event Center in Ogden, Utah from
April 30th to May 8th. and/or the Kern County Cutting Event in Bakersfield, CA
on May 13th. This includes cutting horses that did not attend either of the
above events but have subsequently come into contact with horses returning
from those events.
Based on what is known today, we are suggesting that managers of horse shows
or events occurring in California during the coming weeks incorporate the
following biosecurity measures to minimize the risk for all participants:
1. Event managers should create a short document for participants to sign
upon arrival at the show grounds to confirm that their horses, mules, and
burros attending the show/event have not attended or had prior contact with
horses from the NCHA Championships in Ogden, Utah and/or the Kern County
Cutting Event in Bakersfield, CA, or been on the same premises with horses
that have returned from these events. Horses that have attended, or been
exposed to horses returning from either event will not be allowed to enter the
show grounds.
1. Establish a "No Fever" policy for horses attending the event. Give the
participants prior notice of the new "No Fever" policy before they arrive at
the show grounds. Provide instructions for obtaining the horse's temperature
and an index card on which to record temperature readings for each horse.
* a. All horses will have temperatures taken twice daily and results
will be posted on front of the stall/pen for inspection.
* b. Any horse will be subject to random temperature check by the show
veterinarian or designated member of the veterinary staff during the event.
* c. Any horse with a fever of 102°F or greater will be removed from the
event and premises immediately (i.e. within 2 hours of detection of fever).
* d. If the owner cannot move the horse off the premises, a professional
horse hauler contracted by the event will remove the horse to a designated
isolation area at the owner's expense.
2. It is understood that some (most) horses with a fever will not have
EHV-1; however, in the interest of conducting a safe event under the current
circumstances, the no fever policy will be enforced. If you do not wish to
comply with these safety measures please do not attend the event.
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