Local Horse Herpes Quarantine Ends

There are no more San Juan Capistranoas of Tuesday, the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced.

A concurrent, but nonrelated, outbreak of the Equine Herpes Virus-1 in Riverside was also ended.

That means the Swallows Day Parade can move forward as planned.

"CDFA animal health officials continually monitor the Equine Herpes Virus-1 situation," the department website states. "Currently, CDFA is not aware of any EHV-1 cases. Based on the current status of the EHV-1 situation, CDFA has not made any recommendations for the cancellation of any equine events."

Patty Garrison of the Rancho Sierra Vista Equestrian Center in San Juan said she and her staff were busy getting the stables back in order after the month-and-a-half quarantine.

She said it was a real challenge housing the 400 horses at 40 feet apart -- as the department mandates -- on 15 acres.

"Everything is great," Garrison said. "We've learned a lot about bio-security, and we've got the cleanest place around."

Only 16 horses were affected. One experienced neurological symptoms, but is fine now, Garrison said.

The EHV-1 virus starts out with nasal discharge, fever and other minor symptoms, but in serious cases inflames the blood vessels around the brain and spinal cord.

One horse died at the stables, but the death was determined to be unrelated to the outbreak.

The following tips are from the California Department of Food and Agriculture for horse enthusiasts to prevent outbreaks in the future:

• Limit horse-to-horse contact.
• Limit horse-to-human-to-horse contact.
• Avoid use of communal water sources
• Avoid sharing of equipment unless thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between uses.
• Monitor your horse for clinical signs of disease and report any temperature over 102F to a veterinarian.