The following edited release is from the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services’ Division of Animal Industry.

Equine Herpesvirus-1 Status Report–Florida
Revised December 25, 2006, at 12:30 pm

Nine cases of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) have been confirmed with laboratory testing from horses, seven in the Wellington area, one in Ocala, Fla., and one in Indiantown, Fla. The Ocala horse shipped from south Florida and had a direct link to one of the horses shipped in from New York, on Nov. 29. Five deaths have been attributed to this disease, although only two of those cases could be confirmed by laboratory tests. The index or first case reported was a horse imported from Europe through the USDA New York Animal Import Center.

State and Federal officials are working closely with veterinarians, owners, managers, and others in the affected equine industry to identify potentially exposed animals and suspect cases and to prevent further spread of the disease