Health Departments in several state have issued health warning regarding the threat of West Nile Virus to both horses and people. In Indiana, the state Board of Animal Health is urging horse owners to be vigilant about making sure their animals are vaccinated against the West Nile virus.
New warnings - West Nile Virus
Several State Health Departments are issuing new warnings about the high incidence of West Nile Virus in humans and horses.
The board says three horses already have been diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease. That's compared with 722 cases that were reported in Indiana in 2002, the year the virus was first found in the state.
State officials say the key to keeping the number of horses infected by the virus down is the widespread use of vaccinations, as well as diligence in eliminating mosquito breeding sites.
The initial vaccination requires a series of two shots, with the second to follow within three to six weeks of the first. A booster each year continues to protect horses from infection.
In addition, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has issued a health warning on the West Nile Virus citing the number of humans being affected by the disease.
The health department reports there has been at least 1 death from the mosquito-borne illness this year, and 24 new cases have appeared in the last week. The total is now 55.
There are now 2 cases in Garfield County, the closest to the Woodward area. Tulsa County has reported 14 cases and Oklahoma County 12. Carter County in southern Oklahoma has 9 cases and Pittsburg County has 7. The death reported was from Oklahoma County, an adult over age 75.
The worst West Nile Virus breakout in Oklahoma came in 2007 when 107 cases were confirmed and 8 people died. There is no vaccine to prevent the virus in humans and no drugs to treat it.
Officials said healthy, active adults 50 and over have the highest risk of developing the most serious form of the West Nile Virus, which causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Most of the cases in Oklahoma have developed in persons over 40.
In New Bedford, Massachusetts, more mosquito samples from New Bedford have tested positive for West Nile virus, according to state public health officials.
A horse in the Hampden County town of Ludlow has also contracted the virus in this year's first confirmed animal case, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported Tuesday. The state also logged another sample of West Nile-infected mosquitoes from Fall River.
Horses and humans cannot spread the disease. The virus is carried from infected birds by mosquitoes and enters the body through mosquito bites, where it causes inflammation of the brain, leading to a number of symptoms related to loss of muscular and neurological control.