EHM at Virginia Boarding Facility

A mare in Madison County tested positive for EHM and was euthanized. Twenty horses have been exposed.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Maps showing counties with confirmed cases of Strangles in Ohio, Michigan, and Florida
A mare in Madison County, Virginia, was euthanized after contracting EHM, and 20 other horses have been exposed. | Wikimedia Commons

A vaccinated, 26-year-old mare at a boarding facility in Madison County, Virginia, tested positive for EHM and was euthanized. She began showing symptoms on November 23, including fever and ataxia. EHM was confirmed on November 30. Twenty other horses have been exposed to the disease.

 

EDCC Health Watch is an Equine Network marketing program that utilizes information from the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) to create and disseminate verified equine disease reports. The EDCC is an independent nonprofit organization that is supported by industry donations in order to provide open access to infectious disease information.

EHV 101

Herpesvirus is highly contagious among horses and can cause a variety of ailments in equids, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and EHM.

equine herpesvirus
VIDEO | Health Alert: Equine Herpesvirus

In many horses, the first or only sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected. In addition to fever, other common signs of EHV-1 infection in young horses include cough, decreased appetite, depression, and a nasal discharge. Pregnant mares typically show no signs of infection before they abort, and abortions usually occur late in gestation (around eight months) but can be earlier. Abortions can occur anywhere from two weeks to several months following infection with EHV-1.

Horses with EHM usually have a fever at the onset of the disease and might show signs of a respiratory infection. A few days later, neurologic signs such as ataxia (incoordination), weakness or paralysis of the fore- and hind limbs, urine retention and dribbling, loss of tail tone, and recumbency (inability to rise) develop.

Herpesvirus is easily spread by nose-to-nose or close contact with an infectious horse; sharing contaminated equipment including bits, buckets, and towels; or clothing, hands, or equipment of people who have recently had contact with an infectious horse. Routine biosecurity measures, including hygiene and basic cleaning and disinfection practices, should be in place at all times to help prevent disease spread.

Current EHV-1 vaccines might reduce viral shedding but are not protective against the neurologic form of the disease. Implementing routine biosecurity practices is the best way to minimize viral spread, and the best method of disease control is disease prevention.

Brought to you by Boehringer Ingelheim, The Art of the Horse

Share

Written by:

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

EDCC Health Alerts

Don’t miss an important EDCC Health Alert! Get alerts delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for The Horse’s newsletter.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*

Additional Offers

Weekly Newsletters
Monthly Newsletters
Other Newsletters
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!