More equine herpes virus cases confirmed in Texas outbreak linked to Waco event
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - There are now four confirmed cases in Texas of EHV-1, or equine herpes virus, which can affect a horse’s respiratory, reproductive and nervous systems and functions.
The Texas Animal Health Commission reported the outbreak began in Waco, and it was linked to an infected horse who participated at an event at the Extraco Events Center.
The Equine Disease Communication Center has noted two cases in Oklahoma and three in Louisiana that are directly linked to the outbreak in Waco.
The horse was at the World Finals and Elite Barrel Race event for the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, held at the Extraco Events center from November 5th through the 9th.
The Texas Animal Health Commission says they are aware of four cases in Texas now and are continuing their investigations to track the virus and where it spreads.
The Extraco Events Center says they are not sure exactly how many horses were at the event, but CEO Dustin Coufal says they sold 642 stalls that weekend for the event.
Coufal also says prior to the event the facilities were properly clean, with no animals on site since October 12th.
Coufal added that they are in the process of fully deep cleaning the facilities before their next event.
As a precaution some equine events, like ones in San Antonio and Oklahoma, have already been cancelled.
But other big events, like the National Finals Rodeo, are still scheduled to begin in early December.
Dr. Dusty Nagy with Texas A&M’s Large Animal Teaching Hospital says their hospital has been making sure every horse, infected or not, is treated with caution.
“We have currently stepped up our basic biosecurity protocols now, and we are taking temperatures on horses for any appointment in our equine hospital, prior to admission into the hospital; anybody who has got a fever goes immediately to our isolation facilities,” Dr. Nagy explained.
Dr. Nagy urges all horse owners to quarantine their horses so the virus can naturally die out.
“I recognize that there’s a lot of high end equine athletes that are involved in this and this is a big time of year for them, and that’s a hard recommendation to take, but I do think the easiest way to stop or slow it down is to stop animal movement,” Dr. Nagy maintained.
Commissioner Sid Miller and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) issued an alert to Texas horsemen of an outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1).
Commissioner Miller says he is urging all horse owners, trainers, and venue operators who attended or were in proximity to the event, or who have recently returned from any large equine gathering in the Waco region in the last 14 days, to act swiftly and monitor their animals carefully.
“This virus can spread fast, it can be deadly, and the earliest signs are often so subtle they’re easy to miss,” Commissioner Miller, himself an avid horseman, said.
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