“It’s very unusual to get EHV-1 outbreaks all at the same time on different premises,” said James Wood, BSc, BvetMed, MSc, PhD, MRCVS, DLSHTM, Dipl. ECVPH, Head of Epidemiology at the Animal Health Trust in the United Kingdom, about the recent flare of neurologic equine herpesvirus-1 cases in his country. At least 12 horses have been euthanized after infection with the debilitating virus.

Asymptomatic horses (those not showing symptoms even though they have the virus) stabled with infected animals and horses on bordering properties have been screened for EHV, often yielding positives. But according to Wood, these incidental cases of herpesvirus detected via blood tests could be another less-threatening, respiratory form of herpesvirus, EHV-4