In excess of 600 concerned people from the local equestrian community attended a press conference hosted by Stadium Jumping Inc., in the Jockey Club alongside the Internationale Arena at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Center this morning (Dec. 16).

Unfortunately, on a weekend when the site should have been teeming with horses and people at the AGA National Championships–canceled earlier this week–the issue at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts is the recently confirmed outbreak of   equine herpesvirus (EHV).

In an effort to keep everyone informed, a team of veterinarians was on hand to present the facts and answer questions with regard to this health crisis. Present were: Dr. Michael Short from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Veterinary Office in Tallahassee; Dr. Maureen Long from the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine, USDA Florida District Veterinarian Dr. Julie Gauthier; Dr. Dix Harrell, also representing the USDA for the Florida area; and central to the Wellington outbreak of EHV, Dr. Scott Swerdlin of Palm Beach Equine Clinic.

Short outlined known information to date, including the chronology of the outbreak that focused on a shipment of horses imported from Europe and transported from the USDA quarantine facility in Newburg, N.Y., on Nov. 29. Harrell confirmed that none of the horses had shown any clinical signs of the disease when they were released from quarantine. He did go on to say, however, that horses are not specifically tested for EHV before being released, “because it’s not a foreign disease