Ottawa, Ontario—Equine Canada would like to inform the Canada equine community about an equine herpes virus information seminar on Thursday, April 10, in Saskatoon, SK.

This information seminar is in response to the recent outbreak of equine herpes virus type 1 (EHV-1) in the Saskatoon area and the concern for Canadian horse industry.

The seminar, hosted by the Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan (FACS) Inc. and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan, is a free, two-hour evening session that will provide horse owners and enthusiasts with the facts about the contagious virus and its potential for causing disease in horses.

Some horse owners know about the equine herpes virus type 1 and 4 by its more familiar name Equine Rhinopneumonitis or Rhino, and equine herd health programs usually include an annual, or more frequent, Rhino vaccine. Infection with Rhinopneumonitits will cause upper respiratory infection in young horses, and pregnant mares may abort or deliver stillborn or weak foals that will not survive. There is also a neurotrophic strain of the EHV-1 virus, which has been associated with the neurological form the disease. Currently none of the Rhino vaccines available have a claim to protect against the neurologic form EHV-1 infection.

There is no pre-registration for this event. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Time, date and location of information seminar:

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Diefenbaker Room, Ramada Hotel

806 Idylwyld Drive North, Saskatoon, SK

7:00–9:00 p.m.

For updated information about the recent EHV outbreak in the Saskatoon area, please visit www.wcvm.com/collegenews or www.ehrf.usask.ca.