On February 16, 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Health reported that the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory in Harrisburg confirmed equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy in a horse with hind limb ataxia. The horse tested positive for EHV-1 (A strain). As of February 17, the horse remained stable.
The premises, a pleasure horse barn in Chester County, Pennsylvania, has been quarantined by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Health. All horses are being monitored for clinical signs of EHV-1 infection, and biosecurity precautions have been implemented to prevent the spread of the virus off of the premises.
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.
