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Showing posts from May, 2011

Horse herpes outbreak forces rodeo queens to ride stick ponies - ksl.com

Horse herpes outbreak forces rodeo queens to ride stick ponies - ksl.com

EHV-1, facts about the disease and the current outbreak

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As many are aware there is a current outbreak of EHV-1 neurologic disease or EHM Equine Herpes Myelitis. This has primarily been a western state outbreak but cases are now reported in Florida as well. Several cases were reported in South Florida several years ago as well and sporadically across the country over the past 20 years. As always happens with disease outbreaks, the misinformation and fear spreads faster than the disease itself so what I wanted to do is put out there are some facts that we currently know and questions that we dont know the answer to. You can then use this information to make wise decisions for your horse. This information comes from the consensus statement from the ACVIM ( American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine) . EHV - Equine Herpes Virus or Rhinopneumonitis . There are 5 known strains of EHV. EHV-1 is associated with viral abortion and neurologic disease. This is a DNA virus and can remain dormant in neural tissue much like human Herpes viruses