Salem, Ore. – Following just weeks after 2 cases of EHV-1 in Deschutes County, Oregon, another horse in the state has been confirmed to have equine herpesvirus (EHV-1). The new case reportedly is from a horse based in Clackamas County which covers a good part of the southeast Portland Metro area and rural county up to Mt. Hood.
The case with the horses from Deschutes County stirred much controversy due to the State officials reporting that the first case was due to a “late report” which appeared to be a possible violation of Oregon law. Many equestrians were also upset at the horses owner for having not reported the case to show officials for an event held at the Oregon Horse Center outside Eugene in late April. Both of the horses from Deschutes county were ultimately euthanized according to officials with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
A late night statement released on Wednesday by the Oregon High School Equestrian Teams (OHSET) now reports another case of EHV-1 following the organizations statewide competition held this last month in Deschutes County. The horse had developed neurological symptoms and was ultimately euthanized. Another horse that traveled with the euthanized horse had also developed respiratory symptoms, but is reportedly recovering.
“The time frame for symptoms to develop from the state meet exposure is nearly passed, we don’t expect there to be additional cases.” according to OHSET’s statement.
The statement went on to say,”… if you have any concerns about your horse, you should be taking your horse’s temperature twice daily; if you find unusual elevated temperature, you should contact your local veterinarian. If your horse has other noticeable signs (early is respiratory), again, contact your local veterinarian.”
The State Veterinarians Office and Oregon Department of Agriculture are expected to release a formal statement Thursday morning.
The state competition held by OHSET took place at the Deschutes County fairgrounds just before the reports were released about the two other positive cases in Deschutes County. There was no current information available to know if either of the horses in the the two prior cases had any connection to horses that attended the meet.
OHSET further reminded athletes that are preparing for the Pacific Northwest Invitation Competition (PNWIC) regarding legal requirements for interstate transport of horses, which is a great reminder for all equestrians. The requirement involves having a recent Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (typically 30-days) and a negative Coggins Test (for equine infectious anemia) within the last 12-months.
The PNWIC is a joint regional competition with high schoolers from both Oregon and Washington that is put on by both state’s respective programs, OHSET and WAHSET. The competition held by OHSET last month had reportedly been much of a success. Teams from Oregon City, McMinnville, Valor Christ, and Southridge took top honors in their respective categories.
Additional information on Equine Herpes Virus is available from the Oregon Department of Agriculture: https://oda.direct/EquineHerpesvirus
