Fifteen horses on a single Cambridge-area stud farm have been affected in New Zealand's first neurologic equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) outbreak, according to a Feb. 27 statement from that country's Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI).

Of those horses, seven have been euthanized and eight are recovering, the statement said. Additionally, another horse on the farm was euthanized for reasons unrelated to the outbreak, the statement said.

"The stud farm still remains under voluntary quarantine," the statement read. "MPI is in regular contact with the stud farm and the farm’s veterinarian. MPI is now working with the affected stud and NZEHA (the New Zealand Equine Health Association) on a plan for removing quarantine restrictions."

The MPI encouraged owners to be alert for signs of disease in their horses and to contact their veterinarian if concerns arise. They also cautioned that some other diseases—including West Nile virus; Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis; and hendra virus, among others—can cause neurologic clinical signs in horses. In the statement, officials asked veterinarians to call the MPI's Exotic Pest and Disease Hotline if they find any unusual equine neurologic cases