By Kelsey Riley
A Pau stable housing 57 horses trained by Jean-Claude Rouget has been isolated after an outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1. Two horses in the barn have been euthanised as a result of the neurological disease, while others still have displayed neurological symptoms.
Jean-Claude Rouget said on Sunday, “It has been the worst week of my 40-year career. It is a very devastating virus that affected the colts' barn. We don't know where it came from. Fifty-seven horses were infected and two have been put down.”
“Everything happened very fast,” Rouget added. “On Tuesday we looked okay and no horse was showing any bad symptoms but on Wednesday, some started to stagger while walking. We knew the virus was striking the nervous system. It became worse on Thursday but the treatment we gave them is very efficient and by Friday it was getting better, and it is better ever since.”
“The horses affected cannot run at all,” he noted. “The barn is quarantined anyway and well separated from the others, in another area. So it's pretty safe. My other horses are doing okay and they are running as they should run.”
France-Galop issued a statement that read, “The Equine Herpes Type 1 Virus is currently limited to one barn. This barn, which houses [57] male horses is completely isolated, and a dedicated team is caring exclusively for these horses. One horse had to be put down yesterday after the progression of the encephalitis that affected him. The three horses affected by nervous symptoms to varying degrees are receiving constant care. The horses who yesterday showed subtle nervous signs are doing a lot better. The 40 or so horses in good health in this barn are authorized solely to go out in the forest, apart from other horses from other outfits. The sanitary measures taken have permitted us to avoid the spread of the sickness to other barns of the same trainer. These measures were put in place 15 days ago, upon the discovery of the first feverish horse. These barns, situated in the Sers area more than 600 meters from the infected barn, are also the subject of constant and strict surveillance for 15 days that permits us to be certain that the horses are unharmed. The organization put in place, which is made easier by the fact that each barn has a dedicated staff, allowed them to maintain a normal level of training. The horses in the other barns are authorized to train normally. Their access to race at a track is very well defined: the horses have to belong to a barn where no case of fever has been detected for at least 15 days. They must undergo a medical examination before leaving and be accompanied by a veterinary certificate. The destination racetrack must reserve stalls and have them examined by the on-track veterinarian. The monitoring of the situation is undertaken with a strict collaboration with the services of France Galop.”
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