Veterinarians continue to warn horse owners that July through October coincides with peak mosquito activity, which can place horses at the highest risk of contracting West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis during this time of year.
Threat of mosquitoes in horse pastures
Itâs not too late this fall for horse owners to protect their horses against life-threatening mosquito-borne diseases and vaccination remains the most effective way to protect horses against West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis.
In spite of cooling fall weather, a new case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been confirmed in Wakulla County, Florida. The horse had no previous vaccine or travel history and the horse died as a result of the disease. This is the first confirmed case in Wakulla County and the 20th case in Florida since the beginning of the year.
In addition, new cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed in Hernando County and Lee County, Florida. Both cases were previously unvaccinated and had no travel history. One horse is recovering but the second horse died. This is the first confirmed case of West Nile virus in both counties and the second and third cases in Florida since the beginning of the year.
With the right vaccine and preventive measures, itâs not too late for horse owners to help protect their horses against this life-threatening disease. Vaccination remains the most effective way to help protect horses against West Nile and other mosquito-borne diseases, such as Eastern equine encephalitis and Western equine encephalomyelitis.
In conjunction with vaccination, use good techniques for managing mosquitoes and avoiding peak mosquito time. This includes:
- Destroying any mosquito breeding habitats by removing all potential sources of stagnant water
- Cleaning and emptying any water-holding container, such as water buckets, water troughs and plastic containers, on a weekly basis
- Appling insect repellents or bringing horses inside during the peak mosquito feeding hours between dusk and dawn
Remember, WNV does not always lead to signs of illness. In horses that do become clinically ill, the virus infects the central nervous system and might cause symptoms such as loss of appetite and depression. Other clinical signs can include fever, weakness or paralysis of hind limbs, impaired vision, ataxia, aimless wandering, walking in circles, hyper-excitability or coma.
Horse owners should contact a veterinarian immediately if they notice signs or symptoms of Eastern equine encephalitis or West Nile virus infection in their horses, especially if they are exhibiting neurological signs. The case fatality rate for horses exhibiting clinical signs of WNV infection is approximately 33%.3 and for EEE the fatality rate is 90% or higher and an animal that survives the disease may have brain damage.