The Los Angeles Equestrian Center (LAEC) Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) outbreak, which has affected 13 horses to date, has prompted the cancellation of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses 2016 Equestfest event.

Image/Barescar90
Image/Barescar90

The event was scheduled to be held at the LAEC.

Event organizers said they are committed to ensuring the safety of all Rose Parade participants, including all Equestfest equestrian unit participants and their animals. They are working with appropriate governmental officials and the Associations veterinary consultant to insure the well-being of the animals participating in the 2017 Rose Parade. Additional safeguards and protocols will be adopted to ensure a safe environment. It is anticipated that all equestrian entries scheduled to participate in the 2017 Rose Parade will do so.

Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) infection in horses can cause respiratory disease, abortion in mares, neonatal foal death and neurological disease. The neurological form of the disease is known as Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) and may be caused by damage to blood vessels of the brain and spinal cord associated with EHV-1 infection. EHM is most often due to the neuropathogenic strain of EHV-1, but may occasionally be caused by the non-neuropathogenic strain of the virus.

EHV-1 is easily spread and typically has an incubation period between 2-10 days. Respiratory shedding of the virus generally occurs for 7-10 days, but may persist longer in infected horses. For this reason, a twenty-one day isolation period of confirmed positive EHM cases is recommended along with stringent biosecurity protocols. Similar to herpes viruses in other species, the latent form of EHV-1 can reactivate at a later date, but generally with a low viral load posing a low risk of infecting other horses. Humans are not at risk of contracting the virus, however humans can act as an indirect mode of transmission.

2016 Equestfest tickets purchased through Sharp Seating will be fully refunded to the purchaser with no action needed by ticket holders. There is no need to return tickets to the point of sale.

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