Austin, TX - Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) officials released the premises quarantined for Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), the neurologic disease linked to Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1), in Denton County on March 15, 2017. There are no other reported EHM cases in Texas.

The barrel racing horse had shown signs of ataxia, loss of coordination of the muscles, and other neurologic signs consistent with EHM when evaluated by a local veterinarian. Prior to confirmation, the positive horse attended barrel racing events at the Northside Arena in Fort Worth, TX on February 14 and NRS Arena in Decatur, TX on February 15.

While the risk of exposure to the virus was low at the events, owners of horses potentially exposed were encouraged to take precautions.

The premises was released after more than 14 days when no new cases of EHV-1 were found and the previously positive horse tested negative for EHV-1.

The equine industry is encouraged to obtain the latest information on disease events across the country by visiting the Equine Disease Communication Center at:
http://www.equinediseasecc.org/outbreaks.aspx

For more information on protecting your horses from EHV-1 and other equine diseases, visit our website http://www.tahc.texas.gov/news/brochures/TAHCBrochure_BiosecurityEquine.pdf

To learn more about EHM, visit http://www.tahc.texas.gov/news/brochures/TAHCBrochure_EquineHerpesMyeloencephalopathy.pdf