VIRGINIA'S HORSE INDUSTRY BEGINS RETURN TO NORMALCY
Submitted by: VTA
Email Address: vta(at)vabred.org
Date Added: 3/13/2007
It has been more than 21 days since the last horse left the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) in Leesburg prior to a report of neurological Equine Herpes Virus-1 (EHV-1) on the premises. Today, State Veterinarian Dr. Richard Wilkes announced that, except for four quarantined premises, the state's horse community may resume normal activities.
Immediately upon the report of EHV-1, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) quarantined ten Virginia premises, including the EMC. State animal health officials began a rigorous surveillance program of the horses that had contact with the Center, asking owners on quarantined farms to monitor temperatures twice daily and immediately report horses with elevated temperatures or any neurological signs. VDACS veterinarians tested horses showing any signs of possible EHV.
Dr. Wilkes canceled public sales and auctions the first weekend in March and recommended that event planners consider carefully whether or not they would go ahead with scheduled events. Many canceled shows, trail rides, or fox hunts voluntarily in an effort to contain the spread of the virus.
"Virginia's horse community really stepped up to the plate and did the responsible thing," said Dr. Wilkes, "and their actions helped us contain the virus to the premises where horses had contact with the EMC. I applaud them for their wisdom and sense of responsibility. It is difficult to assess the impact of EHV-1 on Virginia, but this much is certain – it could have been far worse if the disease had spread to other farms and other parts of the state."
While horse activities may begin returning to normal, Dr. Wilkes cautions everyone that there is still a low risk of spreading the virus. Now as much as ever, horse owners need to practice strict biosecurity. Detailed information is on the VDACS Web site at http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/ehv.shtml.
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