1/25/2023 Movement Protocol from Gulfstream Park to Kentucky Tracks

One case of a neurologic horse at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, FL has been confirmed positive for EHV1.  The horse became recumbent and was euthanized. 174 horses remain housed in the affected barn and are under an official quarantine.  Florida state veterinary officials have been conducting the epidemiologic investigation as well as managing and monitoring the quarantine. The Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian has received notification that a review of the records of horses moving out of the affected barn during the 2 weeks preceding the diagnosis did not identify any horse moving to Kentucky.

At this point-in-time there has been no testing of the 174 exposed horses and lacking additional symptomatic horses being reported, there is currently no plan to test the group of exposed horses.  Florida officials have advised that any horse reported to have a fever of 101.5 or greater will be tested from both nasal swab and blood. The horses in the quarantined barn may qualify for release following 21 days of no additional cases being reported or diagnosed. Though these 174 horses are under quarantine and have not since January 21^st had direct contact with other horses on the grounds at Gulfstream, the lack of testing these exposed horses has raised the concern of the Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian.

Current guidelines directed by the Office State Veterinarian that have been adopted/implemented by our tracks require all horses entering a Kentucky race track or sanctioned training facility meet the additional requirements of having a 72hr CVI and meeting our EHV1 vaccination requirement of having been vaccinated a minimum of 14 days and no more than 120 days prior to entering the stable area. Note the 14 day minimum applies only to horses that have not been vaccinated during the preceding 120 days.

The Office of the State Veterinarian in conversation with the thoroughbred track equine medical directors, and after consulting racing secretaries, stable managers and others, has determined that with slight modification to our existing EHV protocol, movement of the non-quarantined horses currently stabled, or horses that had been on the grounds of Gulfstream Park since January 20th, can continue to be conditionally allowed entry onto a KY track/training facility and be stabled on the grounds.                                                                                  

Gulfstream to Kentucky Tracks:

Horses moving from Gulfstream (or having recently been on the grounds) can be allowed entry if the horse meets the published requirements for entry in addition to the modification listed below:

1. Prior to a horse destined to a KY track/training facility departing, the horse’s trainer or veterinarian is to contact the equine medical director, or his designated person, and provide required information on each horse that is seeking approval to move to the track.
2. Approval of a designated horse to enter the Kentucky destination track by that track’s equine medical director is based on the condition that the horse is to be temperature monitored and recorded twice daily for seven (7) days post arrival with the temperature logs posted on the stall. Any elevated fever or other sign or suspicion of illness shall immediately be reported to the equine medical director.  
3. The horse is to travel on a Health Certificate showing examination and issuance of the certificate performed the day of departure or during the 12hours immediately preceding the departure.  The certificate shall have the EHV vaccination recorded on it as well as the date the equine medical director approved the move and the estimated time of departure and KY arrival.

The movement protocol applies only to equine moving to Kentucky tracks and/or sanctioned training facilities.

Again, these requirements are being adjusted in consultation with the track’s equine medical directors and are subject to change without any advanced notice being provided should the disease event at Gulfstream Park change.

12/27/2022 Churchill Downs EHV Outbreak Cleared

On December 26, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's Office of the State Veterinarian was able to qualify for release the last horses remaining under EHV-1 restrictions on the backside of Churchill Downs.

There are currently no quarantines or movement restrictions in place at Churchill Downs. Horses are departing meeting established exit requirements.

12/14/2022 Kentucky EHV Update

Testing of horses conducted yesterday at Churchill Downs enabled the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to confidently release two groups of horses that had been previously exposed to the clinical horse.

Horses under the care of three trainers had been placed in separate barns.

Horses under care of two of the trainers were sampled yesterday (blood and nasal swabs) with negative results reported.  With these results and having had no known exposure to a clinical horse in 14 days, those four horses have been released.  Additionally, The Office of the State Veterinarian has successfully demonstrated by testing that four of the previous asymptomatic positive horses no longer have detectable EHV1 DNA in blood or nasal swab and they, too, have been released.

As of December 14, three exposed horses remain under the care of one trainer that have not been resampled, are being monitored daily, and do remain under quarantine.  Additionally, horses in Barns 36 and 38 are considered indirectly exposed and have not been sampled.  They, too, are being monitored daily and remain under quarantine.

Previously positive horses: as indicated above, four of the six asymptomatic horses that had been isolated at Churchill have completed required testing and have been released from quarantine.  The two remaining positive horses continue to be asymptomatic and do remain in isolation under quarantine.

The index horse continues to improve and remains isolated at the veterinary referral hospital.

11/30/2022 Horse at Churchill Downs Tests Positive for EHV

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has confirmed a case of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) in Jefferson County.

A barn at Churchill Downs is currently under quarantine after a three-year-old Thoroughbred filly has tested positive for EHV. The filly is reported to have had a recurring fever and was referred from Churchill Downs to a Lexington area equine hospital on 11/28 after displaying hind limb ataxia. 13 exposed horses are quarantined. Samples (swabs/blood) were collected from each horse this morning (11/30) and have been submitted for PCR testing. The filly was vaccinated.

For the latest updates and additional information on EHV, please visit the Equine Disease Communication Center at https://equinediseasecc.org/alerts.

11/4/2022 Kentucky Horse Tests Positive for EIA

Following-up to the information we released last week in reference to a Kentucky origin horse having been confirmed EIA positive.

Fourteen (14) horses residing on one of two farms in Allen County were identified as having an opportunity for exposure.

The horses are now quarantined on a single farm in Allen County.  Thirteen (13) of the horses had serum samples collected on 10/27 with each sample being reported NEG.

The 14^th horse had been sampled on September 19^th and it too was reported to be NEG.  These fourteen (14) samples were tested at Murray State University Breathitt Veterinary Center.

The 14 horses will remain under quarantine in Allen County for an additional test to be collected 60 days or greater following last known exposure.

This updated information will be provided to the Equine Disease Communication Center shortly.

10/25/2022 First Confirmed Equine Case of West Nile Virus in Kentucky in 2022

The Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian has confirmed a diagnosis of West Nile virus affecting an equine. This is the first confirmed equine case in Kentucky in 2022.

The affected horse is an unvaccinated three-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse filly in McLean County. She began presenting symptoms including lethargy, muscle fasciculations and sensitivity to touch on and around head. The patient is currently improving.

The State Veterinarian's website will be updated this week to reflect this case, and offers additional information on symptoms and treatment for West Nile Virus.

4/18/2022 EHV Update: Movement of Horses from Pennsylvania onto Kentucky Tracks/Training Facilities

Effective Monday, April 18, Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Office of State Veterinarian rescinds restrictions on horses originating from both Parx Racing and Penn National. All horses from these facilities that meet the standard health requirements for Kentucky tracks and training centers (including EHV1 vaccination, 72hr Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, and valid negative EIA test) will be allowed unrestricted entry.

A decision regarding movement of horses currently on or having recently been on the Grounds of Fonner Park (since 3/12/22) will be made in the coming week.  Until that time, the restrictions described below for Fonner Park do remain in place.

With horses now being allowed to depart Fonner Park unrestricted, movement of horses that are or have been at Fonner Park since March 12, will need to be approved by the KY Office State Veterinarian to enter the grounds of a Kentucky track or sanctioned training center.  Such horses can potentially qualify if after departing the grounds they are examined by a veterinarian and tested negative by PCR for EHV-1 (nasal swab and whole blood - EDTA). Horses meeting this criteria may be approved for entry onto a Kentucky racing or training facility.  A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for the horse(s) from the point where the sample was collected needs to be issued for movement to the Kentucky racing or training facility and must document the EHV1 testing and current health assessment in addition to meeting the normal entry requirements that includes EHV1 vaccination and EIA test certificate.