On Jan. 10, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF) officials released two additional horses from quarantine due to an equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) outbreak at Remington Park in Oklahoma County. The horses released completed two negative tests seven days apart and 14 days with no fevers, signs compatible with EHV-1, or exposure to EHV-1-positive horses.

The horses released from quarantine resided in the second quarantine barn but were moved to separate barns following the race meet’s conclusion. Seventeen horses remain under quarantine at Remington Park, with three of these in the isolation barn. Two horses have been released under quarantine to their owner’s premises, where they will continue to undergo testing, said Oklahoma state veterinarian Rod Hall, DVM.

Enhanced biosecurity measures and twice-daily temperature monitoring remain in effect for all quarantined horses, and ODAFF staff continues to monitor the situation on-site.

EHV 101

Herpesvirus is highly contagious among horses and can cause a variety of ailments in equids, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and equine herpesvirus myeloencephalitis (EHM, the neurologic form)