12/22/06
3:30 PM

Current Situation:
1.  Eight cases of Equine Herpes Virus – type 1 (EHV-1) have been confirmed with laboratory testing from horses, seven in the Wellington area and one in Ocala, Florida. The Ocala horse shipped from south Florida and had a direct link to one of the horses shipped in from New York, on November 29th. Four deaths have been attributed to this disease, although only one of those cases could be confirmed by laboratory tests. Nine cases have had neurologic signs. The index or first case reported was a horse imported from Europe though the USDA New York Animal Import Center.

State and Federal officials are working closely with veterinarians, owners, managers, and others in the affected equine industry to identify potentially exposed animals and suspect cases and to prevent further spread of the disease.

There are eight quarantined premises, six in the Wellington area, one in Ocala, Florida, and one in Jupiter, Florida. Six premises with confirmed cases are under state quarantine and two premises with suspect neurologic cases are under state quarantine. Currently, there are not state or federal restrictions for horse movements into, within, or out of the state of Florida. Some premises and events have their own entry requirements. Contact your point of destination for specific information concerning any restrictions that premises/events may have imposed.

2.  Wellington EHV Incident Command Post is operational.

3.  Incident Command Post Information:
                  
ICP location:
           
Clayton E. Hutcheson
IFAS Agricultural Services Center
559 North Military Trail
West Palm Beach, FL 33415-1311
           
             ICP FAX:                   

561-233-1768
Address to “Wellington EHV Incident”
                       
ICP phone:      
866-568-2836

Operational Period:
0900-2100

            Incident Commander:
Greg Christy

Current Operations:

1.  Three two man teams are working in the West Palm Beach area checking quarantined premises.

2.  Dr. Mike Short is working with area veterinarians and stables to deal with specific issues associated with the disease outbreak.

3.  Mark Fagan is the Public Information Officer (PIO) and communicating with local municipalities and media representatives.

4.  Palm Beach County animal control and emergency management officials are attending briefings at ICP and are providing incident resources.

5. EHV1 exposed horses are being tracked.

Future Operations:
1.  Teams will continue to visit quarantined premises daily.

2.  Preparations are being made to assist with decontamination of some facilities.

3.  Staff requirements for the Christmas Holidays are being addressed at this time. Every effort is being made to accommodate worker’s needs for the holidays but the ICP will be operational through Christmas.

General Information:
1.  For the most updated information on incident please visit the following web sites:
 www.flanimlindustry.com or http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/ai/