Equine Canada’s Health and Welfare Committee is notifying horse owners that Neurotropic Equine Herpes Virus-1 (nEHV-1) has been reported in horses in the United States, with confirmed cases in Alberta (1) and British Columbia (3).  This is the neurological strain of Equine Herpes Virus 1 (EHV 1). Outbreaks of nEHV-1 are contagious and have a high risk of mortality.

It is believed the initial cases were in horses attending a cutting horse show in Ogden, Utah, held April 29 to May 8, 2011, and that horses exposed to the virus at this competition have played a role in reported cases elsewhere.

The following is a statement from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA):

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