USDA: Deadly EHV-1 virus spreads to 75 horses nationwide; 11 dead
May 26, 2011
The deadly EHV-1 virus has spread to 75 horses nationwide, and 11 horses are dead because of the disease, according to the latest United States Department of Agriculture report.
The outbreak originated at an Ogden, Utah cutting event earlier this month, and of the 75 live cases, 58 are in horses that attended that event. States affected include Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
The USDA added 15 new premises to its list of infected locations, and Colorado tops the list of potential infections with 31 suspected or confirmed cases of EHV-1, and six cases known to have gone into the horses' nervous system.
The nation is set up for "what might be called a perfect storm," Dr. Paul S. Morley, a biosecurity/epidemiology professor at Colorado State University, said yesterday in a webinar at TheHorse.com. "Smart horses are staying home." Morley has calculated that more than 1,000 horses were exposed to the virus nationwide.
'Perfect storm' for unprecedented epidemic