Importance of core vaccines for horses

All horse owners should have a solid foundation vaccination proram, especially when it comes to the core vaccines, including Eastern equine Encephalitis, equine herpesvirus, and West Nile Virus.

In Pennsylvania, officials at Parx Racing confirmed on Friday that a horse stabled at the track has tested positive for equine herpesvirus. The sick horse, which was in the care of Blaine Servis, has been removed to Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center in New Jersey.

No horses will be permitted to leave Parx until the track receives authorization from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Horses stabled in Servis’s barn will not be permitted to race, including those under the care of other trainers in the same building. Horses are being permitted to ship in to race, but will not be allowed to leave until the quarantine period ends.

A horse from Hopkinton, New York, has tested positive for the Eastern equine encephalitis virus, commonly called Triple E, according to St. Lawrence County Public Health Director James O. Rich. This is the third confirmed Triple E case in the state this year involving horses, with the others occurring in Franklin and Wayne counties, according to the State Department of Health.

In Kentucky, the Kentucky State Veterinarian's office announced on Oct. 1, that two additional horses—one from Montgomery County and one from Nelson County—have tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV), bringing the commonwealth’s total for the year to six horses with confirmed cases of the disease.

Eastern equine encephalitis, West Nile virus and equine herpesvirus are mosquite borne diseases and vaccinations for the diseases are considered core vaccines. All horse owners should have a solid foundation vaccination program, especially when it comes to the core vaccines. Among core vaccines for mosquito-carried viruses are Encephalomyelitis also known as “sleeping sickness,” Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE), Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE), and West Nile Virus (WNV).

These viruses are transmitted to horses by mosquitoes, which have acquired the virus from birds and rodents. Although these vaccines are usually given in the spring, approximately one month before mosquitoes are active, in areas where mosquitoes thrive all year, the vaccines are given more often and should be kept current no matter what age a horse is.