Equestrian events in Nova Scotia have been cancelled to prevent the spread of equine herpesvirus-1.
CBC News reported that cancellations came after an outbreak killed four horses.
The four horses were at the same barn, according to Dr. Trevor Lawson, an equine practitioner in Nova Scotia and the president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. Lab results confirmed one case on November 3 while the other three are presumptive positives.
“I think any time that we see neurologic disease in horses, it’s a very serious incident. Quite often it does not go well,” Lawson told CBC News. Half of all horses who get the disease will die, Lawson said.
Equine herpesvirus-1 is highly transmissible. The virus can spread through the air when an infected horse coughs or by nasal secretion if horses are nose-to-nose or through shared water buckets and grooming equipment. Humans can also spread the virus after having contact with a sick horse.
The virus causes a fever and nasal discharge before a horse shows signs of weakness and may begin to stumble.
The exact location of the barn where the outbreak began was not confirmed by CBC News. Lawson said it was in northern Nova Scotia. The next two weeks are critical in containing the outbreak. Lawson told CBC News he believes the outbreak was contained.
In Nova Scotia, the virus is not a federally reportable disease. The provincial government in Ontario considers the virus a reportable disease.
According to Lawson, Ontario reports disease outbreak because of a significant horse racing industry in the province.
Bruce Trenholm owns Creek View Farm in Northport, Nova Scotia and voluntarily cancelled a clinic he planned to host on his farm last weekend. He heard about the outbreak from a veterinarian. Trenholm estimated he lost approximately $2,000 by cancelling the event.
“It’s a bigger cost to start losing horses,” he told CBC News.
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Rebecca Barnabi
