EN Today: HITS quarantine will be lifted tomorrow (3/13/13)

HITS competitors are officially free to go home after two weeks of showground lock-down in response to an outbreak of EHV-1.

From Visionaire:

The Florida Department of Ag has continued to update their EHV-1 information [PDF], and thankfully it seems the spread of the disease is under control. Originally quarantined on February 27th, the HITS showgrounds will be released from quarantine tomorrow (3/13/13). From today’s update:

Sample collection for testing was performed at HITS Tents 3, 6, and 7 yesterday. Additionally, several premises with quarantines outside of the HITS Showground were tested. In total, over 200 horses were tested and all laboratory results were negative. As a result, the HITS Showground and several premises outside of the HITS Showground are scheduled to be released from quarantine tomorrow (3/13/13).

Seven horses associated with HITS were infected with EHV-1, two of which suffered neurological symptoms. In addition to Florida, New Jersey, Utah, Tennessee, Illinois, California, and Quebec have also reported cases (not believed to be related to HITS). For more on the disease and a complete timeline tracking outbreak information, visit www.thehorse.com.