2 Morris County Horses Quarantined With Equine Herpes

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Two Morris County horses tested positive for equine herpes, officials announced Friday. The horses tested positive April 18 and have improved clinically since.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture didn't clarify the location of the Morris County property. Other horses on the premises are under quarantine with temperatures checked twice per day as they get monitored for sickness. The department of agriculture is tracing and notifying the appropriate parties.

Two Quarter Horse geldings — 17 and 20 years old — caught the highly infectious disease. Equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is the often-deadly neurological form of Equine Herpes Virus infection. The organism spreads quickly from horse to horse and can cause respiratory problems — especially in young horses. It can also cause spontaneous abortions in pregnant mares.

“The Department took swift action in an effort to prevent the disease from spreading to other horses by enacting a quarantine, which stops movement of horses in and out of the properties and puts in place preventive measures to contain the virus,” said Douglas H. Fisher, the state's secretary of agriculture.

The horses have New Jersey's first-known EHM cases of 2021. The virus spreads readily through direct contact with infected materials. While highly infectious, it doesn't persist in the environment for an extended period of time and is neutralized by hand soap, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and sunlight.

The virus does not affect humans and other domestic animals, except for llamas and alpacas.

Equine herpes typically has an incubation period of 2-10 days. Clinical signs include respiratory disease, fever, nasal discharge, depression, cough, lack of appetite and enlarged lymph nodes. The neurological strain typically includes mild lack of coordination, hind end weakness and paralysis, loss of bladder and tail function, and loss of sensation to the skin in the hind end.

Concerned owners should consult their veterinarians before taking any action, since the clinical signs of the neurological form are common to many other diseases.