New and emerging equine viral diseases have a very significant and adverse impact on the sport horse industry in the United States and throughout the world. The recent unchecked progress of diseases such as equine viral arteritis, vesicular stomatitis, African horse sickness, and Hendra virus disease has adversely impacted some of our most valuable equine athletes and has caused severe disruption and considerable economic loss at all levels in competitive equine sports, including the Olympic Games.

The World Organisation for Animal Health, officially known as the OIE (Office International
des Epizooties), monitors the emergence of diseases that have the potential to affect animal health worldwide. They have developed a list of animal diseases, including those for the horse, which by international agreement must be reported to them within a specified time frame. Rapid detection, accurate reporting and effective response to any disease, whether a new or pre-existing one, is clearly crucial to safeguarding animal health worldwide. The following equine diseases must be reported to the OIE:

	African Horse Sickness		Western Equine Encephalomyelitis
	Dourine		Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis
	Equine Infectious Anemia		Equine Rhinopneumonitis
	Equine Influenza		Surra (Trypanosoma evansi)
	Equine Piroplasmosis		Glanders
	Contagious Equine Metritis		Equine Viral Arteritis
Equine viral diseases known to be present in the United States are listed below:
	Bunyaviruses (Powassan, Main Drain)		Equine Rhinovirus
	Eastern Equine Encephalitis		Equine Rotavirus
	Equine Adenovirus		Equine Viral Arteritis
	Equine Herpesviruses 1-5		Rabies Virus
	Equine Infectious Anemia		Western Equine Encephalitis Virus
	Equine Influenza		Venezuelan Encephalitis Virus (periodically)
	Equine Papilloma Virus Sarcoids		Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (periodically)