THE HORSE • July 9, 2020
On July 7, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry officials announced that contact tracing for all horses exposed to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) on June 18 has identified two additional exposed facilities in Kennebec County. All exposed animals have been quarantined, and enhanced biosecurity protocols have been enacted at the index facility. Herpesvirus is highly contagious among horses and can cause a variety of ailments in equids, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and equine herpesvirus myeloencephalitis.