EHV-1 Update: Most Payson Park Horses Out of Quarantine

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A state-imposed quarantine on most horses stabled at Florida’s Payson Park Training Center was lifted Friday, Jan. 5, as the recent outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1 continued to abate.

Dr. Mary Scollay, track veterinarian for Gulfstream Park and Calder Racecourse, said Jan. 7 that only about 40-60 horses among the approximately 500 horses stabled at Payson Park remained under EHV-1 restrictions.

She said Gulfstream Park accepted entries from Payson Park horses for the weekend card. She said it was unknown how long the remaining horses would be in quarantine, which is in effect for a period of 21-28 days from the horses’ last exposure to any horse that has tested positive for EHV-1.

Scollay said all restrictions on Calder horses had been lifted.

EHV-1, a form of herpesvirus that can cause fevers and neurologic signs that range from incoordination and weakness in the hind limbs to paralysis, has been responsible for the recent deaths of six horses in Florida and one horse in California.

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