No new cases of fatal horse disease emerge in Maine

AUGUSTA – There have been no new cases of a highly contagious, often fatal horse disease that made its first documented appearance in Maine two weeks ago, State Veterinarian Don Hoenig said Monday.

He added that the two stables where the disease was found remain under quarantine.

Two horses died and another was sickened by the neurological form of equine herpes virus Type 1, or EHV-1, Hoenig said, but the sick horse has responded extremely well to treatment and is “champing at the bit to get some exercise.”

Hoenig said the disease is not contagious to humans or other animals.

All three of the contaminated horses had been housed at a stable in Rome. One horse, a 17-year-old, died on March 18 of what appeared to be EHV-1; and a second horse, a 3-year-old gelding, was euthanized a day later. A third horse was moved to a stable in Wales and is being treated for EHV-1.

Before the outbreak, Hoenig had warned racetrack owners, veterinarians and others in the horse industry to make sure horses were vaccinated.

It was EHV-1’s presence in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that concerned Hoenig. “We have a large number of horses that move back and forth to our racetracks,” he said.

Hoenig created a task force within the Maine Department of Agriculture and wrote letters of concern to Maine’s horse owners in 2005, 2006 and again in 2007.

All Maine racetracks should require vaccinations for EHV-1 not less than 14 days or more than six months for any horse, Hoenig said.

Before 2003, reports of EHV-1 in the United States were sporadic, with none to few cases annually. In 2005, seven cases were reported in five states, and by 2006 there were 11 cases in eight states.

All horse owners are encouraged to consult with their veterinarians on recommendations concerning vaccination and monitoring for the disease.

More information can be found at www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/.T