Known as horse herpes, the virus has killed stock in six western states and has prompted New Mexico health officials to advise an equine quarantine for the next seven to 10 days.
It all started at a cutting horse championship in Ogden, Utah, that ran from April 30 through May 8.
"This is a big deal," said Pamela Robison, executive assistant for the cutting horse western championship, where the disease is thought to have begun its rapid dissemination. "It's spreading like wildfire and it's deadly."
Dr. Dave Fly, the state veterinarian for the New Mexico Livestock Board, is recommending any event involving large numbers of horses be canceled.
There were approximately 10 horses from New Mexico registered for the Ogden cutting championship, Fly said.
Two of those horses, one from Hobbs and one from Albuquerque, contracted the disease, and one of the horses died Tuesday night, Fly said.
None of the registered New Mexico horses were from San Juan County, but that doesn't mean local owners shouldn't be hyper-vigilant, experts said.
And local stables are doing just that.
"We are shutting down the flow of stock coming in and going out," said Bob Browning, whose stable is home to roughly 25 horses.
"So far we have no sick stock, but we are keeping a very careful eye out."
Browning isn't being overly cautious, experts said.
"There were a lot of horses at the show that were not entered," Fly said. "We don't know where in the west those horses are. There's a group of horses out there that we can't find."
And just because a horse didn't attend the Ogden event doesn't mean it's not at risk.
In Colorado, two horses that did not go to the Utah cutting championship contracted the disease, Fly said. Experts believe that all other confirmed horse herpes cases originated at the horse show in Utah.
The San Juan County 4-H rodeo scheduled for today at McGee Park was canceled because of the outbreak.
Keith Hamilton, a Koogler Middle School teacher who helps organize the rodeo, said about 50 students usually attend. "We have well over 200 kids doing rodeo around here," Hamilton said.
The New Mexico Junior High Rodeo Association State Championship will be held May 28 in Lovington. But an update on the rodeo's website advises people to keep their horses quarantined until the finals and to check next week for updates.
The disease is severe neurological form of equine herpes, or EHV-1.
"It's a genetic mutant and it causes an acute onset of fever, depression and maybe a nasal discharge," Fly said. "The horses that are going to succumb to the disease begin to show neurological weakness."
Robison has firsthand experience.
"It starts with a fever," she said. "After that it moves to respiratory discharge, hind end weakness and lethargy. They often sit down and can't get back up."
Robison said since the outbreak she feverishly spread the word.
"It's almost like a paralytic disease when it's very severe," Fry said.
The disease can spread through the air when horses are in close quarters and is easily passed by shared water troughs, Robison said.
"It appears that maybe there was some issues with ventilation in some of the barns and arenas" at the Utah horse show, Fly said.
Humans can't contract the disease.
The incubation period averages between five to 14 days, with rare cases taking longer to appear. There is no cure or vaccine for the mutated disease, and treatment focuses on alleviating the symptoms.
There has not been a widespread outbreak of horse herpes in the West in recent years. The most recent was an outbreak at a New Jersey racetrack last year.
"We're asking people to take it easy for seven to 10 days so we can get it stopped," Fly said. "We're pretty optimistic we are getting this under control and by next week should be able to report it is isolated."(source : daily-times.com)