Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

When one is talking about a common cold, the fact that it is easily spread
is not of much consequence.  EHV1 is fatal.  Big difference.  EHV1 is also
very easily spread.  How much easier can it get than that a horse travel in
the same van that previously contained an infected but not particularly
sick-appearing horse?  Or that a curry brush used on a sick horse could
infect yours?  Or that if you patted an infected horse and then saddled and
bridled your own without first THOROUGHLY washing your hands, and maybe
your clothes too, you could pass the disease to your own animal?

Truman Prevatt wrote:
> All are in South FL or 
> have had contact with horses in South FL or the transport van that 
> transported the infected horses to South FL.

The San Francisco Bay Area is 3000 miles away from South FL.  Three race
tracks are under quarantine.  There is as of yet no reliable info on the
source of the EHV1 infection in California although according to the
Sun-Sentinel.com, it has been "linked to the same shipment of horses blamed
for the disease's spread in Wellington".  If the stereotypically
money-grubbing racing interests are willing to restrict the movement of
their bread and butter, you better dang well believe EHV1 has people
worried... AND that its getting loose could be a catastrophe.

Gator Run is probably perfectly safe to go to and enjoy.  Also it may well
be true that we are currently in a situation akin to Chicken Little's "The
sky is falling! The sky is falling!"  On the other hand, the way wildfire
contagions gain momentum is through indifference and an insubstantial
appreciation for the danger presented until it's too late.

South FL may have had no new cases in "over a week" but the time to start
breathing easier is 21 days - THREE weeks.  Till then, vigilance and
caution are the watchwords for anyone traveling with their horses, whether
in South FL or in Northern California.



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