Equine Influenza at World Equestrian Center
Consider monitoring your horse’s health at shows by taking his temperature daily, which can help you pick up on signs of infection early and take appropriate measures to reduce disease spread. | Photo: Stephanie L. Church/The Horse

Officials from the World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Wilmington, Ohio, said Feb. 15 that six more horses had tested positive for equine influenza, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to nine.

The nine horses are currently in isolation at the WEC veterinary clinic in various stages of recovery. The facility is currently in Week 8 of its Winter Series of the Midwest indoor horse show circuit, which hosts up to 600 stalls each week from December until April.

Holly Helbig, DVM, WEC show veterinarian, working in conjunction with show manager Brandon Saxton, have implemented a three-phase process for managing the affected horses. Any horse that presents with clinical signs of disease is moved to a separate barn on the property and tested for the virus. Positive cases are then moved to isolation, located at the onsite veterinary clinic. Helbig closely monitors and cares for horses in isolation round-the-clock. Once the affected horses stop showing clinical signs, they will be moved to a “step-down” isolation area where they will be retested; from there, horses with a negative swab will be released

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