The University of Illinois Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed two positive cases of equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) at a private facility in Champaign County.
Out of 24 horses on the facility five presented with fever greater than 102 degrees and hind limb swelling. Two of those horses were confirmed positive for EHV-1.
The index case, a 28-year-old Quarter Horse mare, became recumbent and was euthanized. One other horse was euthanized for unrelated complications.
The facility is currently under quarantine and checking temperatures twice daily.
The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) works to protect horses and the horse industry from the threat of infectious diseases in North America. The communication system is designed to seek and report real time information about disease outbreaks similar to how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerts the human population about diseases in people.
