Disease Alerts

Updates on current disease outbreaks are listed here as they occur and will include the date listed, disease name, location and current status. Specific premises will not be named but the general location by town, county and state will be listed. When locations, events or horses are at risk they will be listed. Updates will be posted as they are received.



Jefferson County, KY
Outbreak Identifier: 5434
Alert ID: 2840
December 14, 2022
Outbreak Update

Kentucky Department of Agriculture

Comments: Update 12/14/2022: Testing of horses conducted yesterday at Churchill Downs enabled Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) to confidently release two groups of horses that had been previously exposed to the clinical horse. Horses under the care of three trainers had been placed in separate barns. Horses under care of two of the trainers were sampled yesterday (blood and nasal swabs) with negative results reported. With these results and having had no known exposure to a clinical horse in 14 days KDA released these four horses. Additionally, KDA has successfully demonstrated by testing that four of the previous asymptomatic positive horses no longer have detectable EHV1 DNA in blood or nasal swab have been released. At this point-in-time (12/14/22) KDA continues to have three exposed horses under the care of 1 trainer that have not been resampled, are being monitored daily and remain under quarantine. Additionally, horses in Barns 36 and 38 are considered indirectly exposed and have not been sampled. They are being monitored daily and remain under quarantine. As indicated above four of the six asymptomatic horses that had been isolated at Churchill have completed required testing and have been released from quarantine. The two remaining positive horses continue to be asymptomatic and  remain in isolation under quarantine. The index horse continues to improve and remains isolated at the veterinary referral hospital. 
Previous Alerts: 2837, 2826, 2821, 2820