For the first time since the onset of the widespread equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) outbreak, no new cases have been reported since the last update. Animal health officials in numerous Western states and provinces have been working diligently for the past month to control the outbreak, which is believed to stem from a national cutting horse championship competition held in Ogden, Utah, in early May.

Equine herpesvirus-1 is highly contagious and can cause a variety of ailments in horses, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and myeloencephalopathy (the neurologic form). The virus is not transmissible to humans. Clinical signs of EHV-1 myeloencephalopathy (EHM) include fever, ataxia (incoordination), weakness or paralysis of the hind limbs, and incontinence. The virus is generally passed from horse to horse via aerosol transmission (when affected animals sneeze/cough) and contact with nasal secretions.

At press time (4:00 p.m. EDT), no new confirmed cases of EHV-1 had been reported to state or provincial animal health officials.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture issued a press release indicating that they have removed the quarantine from the state’s previously restricted farms, as more than 28 days have passed and no confirmed cases of EHV-1 have been reported. The USDA recommends quarantining horses exposed to EHV-1 for 21 to 28 days to account for the incubation period before allowing them contact with any other horses