EHV-1 Outbreak

Ave Sodalis

There has been an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus in Valencia, Spain. So far, reports are saying 84 horses are being treated on site, 11 off site and 4 have died. Whilst there have been no movement of Irish horses home, there have been cases confirmed in France, Germany and Belgium from horses that travelled before restrictions were put in place.



I know the FEI are working hard to contain it, but I think it's important for the general public to be aware, particularly if importing horses from the continent in the next while.

Edit: Some good information from the Equine Sports Medicine Practice Facebook page

The current Equine herpesvirus (EHV1) outbreak is worrying a lot of owners & riders in Europe. Here are a few key points to help you better understand EHV1 and manage your horse’s accordingly.
�� EHV-1 can cause respiratory disease (nasal discharge, swollen lymph nodes) or more rarely but more severe neurological symptoms (incoordination, ataxia, somnolence,...) or abortion.
��After infection, the incubation period usually ranges from 1 to 6 days. The horses then usually have two peaks of fever 4 to 5 days apart. Adult horses can be symptomless and stil transmit the virus!
�� EHV-1 is very contagious and spreads either by direct horse-to-horse contact, by nasal aerosol or indirectly via contact with contaminated objects (equipment, tack, hands, clothing, feed or drinking bins, buckets, walkers, trailers,...).
��The virus can survive from a week to a month in the environment and it is essential to wash and disinfect boxes and all equipment in contact with the horse. Use your usual hand sanitizer before handling horses.
�� Diagnosis is performed by PCR from a nasal swab (yes, like fpr SARS-Co19) or blood sample. Monitoring temperatures twice a day in exposed horses is a good way to prescreen.
�� Isolate and quarantine horses returning from a sensitive area or those with symptoms such as fever to prevent the spread FOR 21 DAYS. Isolation means housing them away from other horses in a different stables, not in adjacent paddocks and turning them out not in the same walker or arena
�� If a horse has symptoms, immediately notify your vet and do not move any horses around.
Supportive treatments may include anti-inflammatory medication. Antibiotics are only used if a secondary bacterial infection occurs as they have no effect on the EHV1 itself.
�� Using a booster vaccination in asymptotic horses helps reduce risks of shedding and propagation for all horses and can attenuate symptoms in individuals if they come across the virus.

https://www.worldofshowjumping.com/en/News/FEI-We-are-currently-experiencing-what-is-probably-the-most-serious-EHV-1-outbreak-in-Europe-for-decades.html
https://www.facebook.com/207048359459212/photos/a.210497065781008/1844531385710893

isaos

Fingers crossed. Maddening to know that some left Valencia to go and compete left and right elsewhere in Europe.. It wouldn't take much to get it in Ireland.

finbarrk

A few cases in Florida also. Bad news overall.
https://thehorse.com/197862/two-florida-horses-confirmed-with-neurologic-ehv-1/

convert

Thanks for sharing that, and definitely worth highlighting to people.

isaos

A lot of people are still unaware, like my farrier who deals with some competition yards: he was really thankful for the information, as going from one stable to another. More communication is certainly needed at all level of the equine sector, it would just take one person to spread the disease.

Ave Sodalis

isaos wrote:

A lot of people are still unaware, like my farrier who deals with some competition yards: he was really thankful for the information, as going from one stable to another. More communication is certainly needed at all level of the equine sector, it would just take one person to spread the disease.

Absolutely. Since I don't believe this is a notifiable disease, it's more down to individual communication to know what's going on, in particular with people who aren't on social media

RosieJoe

I was amazed at the differences in reaction to this. Some yards closed to schooling and letting external riders use their arenas, some yards were business as usual. People going to open yards without a care and others staying put.

Thankfully there is a vaccine available for this but limited supply.

Kamili

Good read on it here

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/03/deadly-viral-outbreak-ravages-european-horses?utm_campaign=news_daily_2021-03-24&et_rid=399746071&et_cid=3711600

About 80% of the most severe Valencia cases involved mares, Álvarez says. Some researchers wonder whether medications used to stop the mares’ reproductive cycles—a treatment some riders think makes a horse easier to handle—might have contributed to illness. One popular drug, altrenogest, is based on progesterone, which has been shown to weaken immune function, notes Christine Aurich, an equine gynecologist at the Graf Lehndorff Institute in Germany.

Researchers are also scrutinizing the EHV-1 vaccine, which has a spotty record of preventing disease and requires booster shots every 6 months. Many of the sick horses had been vaccinated, Åkerström says—but past studies have hinted that horses may be at higher risk of neurological symptoms in the weeks after vaccination. FEI’s working group is gathering vaccination records, as well as infection and symptom data, in hopes of clarifying such issues—and developing better ways to treat and prevent future outbreaks.