New cases of EVH reported in Europe

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) has issued the following release regarding cases of EHV that have been reported linked to showjumping events in Lier, Belgium and Oliva, Spain

The precautions in this release are are useful reference to keep on all yards, should the need for a quarantined environment need to be put into practice. 

All horses returning to the UK from the above shows from 00.01hrs on Saturday, 18th February are required to isolate and will not be allowed to attend any national competitions until a period of isolation of 21 days is completed or, they have undertaken laboratory tests which confirm negative results. Testing with negative results based on samples collected at least 10 days apart will be accepted as evidence of clearance with restrictions on competition attendance then lifted by the FEI. This date of commencement of enhanced risk aversion may change as more information becomes available from the FEI.

It would also be prudent, although it is not mandatory, for yards to isolate and test horses which returned from these sites before 18 February.

Testing is in place in accordance with FEI requirements.

What quarantine procedures are in place?

Facilities / working practices

• Quarantined horses should be kept in a barn or stables that is physically separated from other horse accommodation by at least 5 metres.  Ideally there should be a road between the isolation barn and other barns or the isolation barn should have separate access.
• Human-cross over between quarantined and other horses should be minimised or, ideally, avoided.
• The two horse groups should ideally have separate staff and riders. If this is not possible, quarantined horses should be attended to after other horses, staff should then change their  clothes and shower before returning to non-isolated horses.
• Within the quarantine area, staff should wear separate coveralls for each horse and employ hand hygiene and foot dips between each quarantined horse.
• Each quarantined horse should have separate mucking out and feeding equipment.
• There is no need for separate muck heaps, but it is essential that muck and bedding from the quarantine area does not pass through non-quarantined areas on its way to the main disposal collection area.

Clinical monitoring including:

• Recording temperature twice a day
• Noting appetite
• Noting presence / absence of nasal discharge at least twice daily
• Noting presence / absence of coughing at least twice daily
• Yards should keep a written diary / Vet should review diary often

Report from Spain

On 23 February 2023 the FEI Veterinary Department reported an outbreak of EHV-1 at the Spring Mediterranean jumping tour event in Oliva, Spain.

Seven horses, all stabled within the same stabling area, developed pyrexia and were immediately isolated together with three close in-contact horses. Nasopharyngeal swab samples were taken from all horses and 4 tested positive for EHV-1 on PCR analysis.

To date, the affected horses have not shown any other clinical signs of EHV-1 infection.

Almost 1000 horses were stabled on the affected premise since 7 February and the FEI has been working closely with the event’s organisers and FEI Officials, as well as the Spanish National Federation and the Spanish veterinary authority in managing the outbreak.

All horses have been prevented from attending any future FEI events until the FEI’s EHV-1 testing requirements have been fulfilled. 82 horses that have been stabled within the affected stabling area will be managed and kept in isolation at the event venue.

Horses that have not been stabled in the affected stabling area will be permitted to leave to undergo isolation and testing for EHV-1 at their home stables.

The events scheduled to take place at Oliva in the forthcoming weeks have been cancelled until further notice.