The Equine Hospital at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine has closed its doors to non-emergency horse admissions until Feb. 20, 2003. This action has been taken to allow disinfection of the hospital because of potential contamination by horses admitted January 18, 19, and 24, 2003 from an outbreak of equine herpes virus type 1 (EHV-1) infection that occurred at the University of Findlay. (visit https://thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=4137 for the latest update on the Findlay situation).

This thorough cleaning and disinfection is in addition to that routinely performed after each patient is discharged from the hospital. Steve Reed, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM of The Ohio State University, said “We have just disinfected our entire equine center. We’re divided into two hospitals, recleaning (the new equine suite area), and we will re-open the Galbreath (equine) center.” According to Reed, hospital officials are considering the approximately 70 horses that have been at the hospital since Jan. 18 as exposed, and they are asking horse owners to leave the horses at the hospital for 21 days