The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has announced that a 9-year-old Morgan gelding has tested positive for West Nile virus and has had to be euthanized. This is the state's first positive case of West Nile Virus in a horse this year.
Deadly mosquito-borne West Nile virus
A 9-year-old Morgan gelding in Virginia has tested positive for West Nile virus and has been euthanized.
Virginia agriculture officials are urging horse owners to check their animals' vaccination records to make sure horses have been vaccinated, and, if not, have them vaccinated against this mosquito-borne disease. For the vaccine to be effective, it must be administered properly several weeks before the horse is exposed to the virus.
Other recommended prevention measures include eliminating standing water in which mosquitoes can breed, using insect repellents on horses and humans, and removing horses from mosquito-infested areas during the period from dusk to dawn.