Time To Protect Against West Nile Virus

Washington’s state veterinarian is reminding horse owners that it is mosquito time and vaccinations or booster shots are needed to protect horses from West Nile virus (WNV). Veterinarians have had great success with vaccines offering protection against WNV, a potentially fatal disease in horses.

With warmer weather and mosquito season approaching, horse owners should plan to protect their horses as soon as possible even though no equine cases of WNV were confirmed here last year, says State Veterinarian Dr. Leonard Eldridge. Two human cases of WNV were reported last summer in Washington and health officials detected the virus in two dead birds and more than 100 mosquito samples.

Washington led the nation in confirmed equine cases in 2009 (72 cases) and 2008 (41 cases).