EHV-1 threat won’t disappear, but risks can be managed

It can’t, or shouldn’t, happen here. That’s what many people whose horses were not affected by this winter’s outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) at Pimlico and Laurel Park seemed to believe: Keep out the “bad,” infected horses who somehow were attacked by this “rare” virus, and your own stock will be safe.

But veterinarians who have dealt with EHV for many years scoff at those ideas.
The quarantine and isolation procedures used at Pimlico and Laurel were necessary, because contact with severely infected horses spreads the virulent form of the disease.
However, EHV is always around, say the experts. The vast majority of horses carry the EHV virus with them in a dormant form. Illness can flare up when a horse is stressed or a new virus enters his body. In many instances the herpes virus causes no symptoms at all—the horse’s immune system takes care of the problem almost immediately.
So how should horse owners respond to the herpes threat?

By maintaining a routine vaccination program administered by a veterinarian. And by following everyday management practices that cut down on the spread of many diseases, not just EHV. These include taking temperatures daily, and cleaning and disinfecting any piece of equipment that may be used for more than one horse.

EHV can strike despite these measures, but the likelihood of an outbreak will be reduced—potentially saving not only horses’ lives, but also costly interruptions to training and racing.