ALERT - A veterinarian from the PA Dept of Agriculture sent out the following email today:
Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) Case in York County
Good afternoon.
This week a pony in York County, Pennsylvania that was febrile and neurologically impaired tested positive for EHV-1 by virus detection testing (PCR).
This pony resides at a very small, private barn which is under formal quarantine by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
Following an epidemiological investigation, one additional equine premises located in Adams County, Pennsylvania, was placed under quarantine due to the index case traveling there on March 18.
Animals on both premises are being monitored carefully for signs compatible with active EHV-1 infection and the private practitioners for both barns are very involved.
It is important to note that at the present time, there have been no deaths associated with this situation.
As we have in the past few years of EHM situations, we are responding to this situation based on a science based protocol involving minimum quarantine of 21 days from the last significant clinical finding (e.g. fever) as well as the use of PCR testing for EHV-1 when appropriate.
Please help us to correct any misinformation out there related to this issue and, as always, please remind equestrian clients of some of the biosecurity practices they can utilize to mitigate the risks inherent in showing.
The AAEP website has some excellent resources available on the public portion of their website: http://www.aaep.org/info/equine-herpesvirus-resources
