The San Mateo Daily Journal is reporting that sick horses at a boarding stable in the Half Moon Bay area have been diagnosed as suffering from Equine Herpes Virus Type-1 (EHV-1) following diagnostics at the University of California at Davis. This follows an outbreak earlier this winter at racetracks nearby in the Bay Area.
San Mateo County is the region directly south of San Francisco, near the airport area, between the city and Palo Alto and San Jose. Half Moon Bay is about 25 miles south of San Francisco and is noted for its surfing.
Here is a clip from the San Mateo County Farm Bureau, which was published on Friday:
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“The first confirmed cases of the neurotropic (neurological) form on Equine Herpes Virus in San Mateo County were recently identified by Bayhill Equine.
“Three cases were identified at a boarding facility in Montara, north of Half Moon Bay on March 12. A 4-yr old pleasure horse became febrile on March 6th. She began showing slight signs of ataxia on the evening of March 11th, and was unable to stand the next morning. At that time, one other horse in the paddock was also ataxic.
“Based on history, clinical signs, and the number of horses affected. A presumptive diagnosis of Equine Herpes Virus was made, and the horse referred to the UC-Davis Large Animal Clinic. The diagnosis was confirmed the afternoon of March 12 based on a positive nasal swab, blood, and spinal tap.
“Two other horses at the boarding facility have also tested positive, with one other pending. Two of the affected horses were subsequently euthanized at UC-Davis after failing to respond to treatment.
“Currently, three stables in the Moss Beach/Montara area are under voluntary quarantine to help stop the spread of the virus.”
The department is referring inquiries to Wayne Browing, DVM at Bayhill Equine, Inc. in Redwood City.