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FRANKFORT
, Ky. — Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer advises
Kentucky equine owners to consult with their veterinarians
about vaccinating their animals for West Nile Virus.
“Last
year's number of equine West Nile cases was down 80
percent compared with 2002, but we can't afford to let
up on prevention and surveillance,” Commissioner Farmer
said. “We are still learning how West Nile progresses
from year to year. We don't know whether to expect more
cases or fewer cases this year. We do know that West
Nile Virus is here to stay. Equine owners should talk
to their veterinarians about ways they can protect their
animals.”
State
Veterinarian Dr. Robert Stout said an equine owner's
attending veterinarian can recommend an appropriate
vaccination regimen. He pointed out that, of the 102
equine West Nile cases confirmed in Kentucky in 2003,
96 were in animals that were not fully vaccinated in
accordance with the vaccine manufacturer's recommendation.
Authorities
with KDA and the Kentucky Department for Public Health
said no cases of West Nile have been confirmed in humans,
equine or birds in Kentucky so far in 2004. The Ohio
Department of Health has reported that a 79-year-old
man in southern Ohio has the first probable case of
West Nile Virus in Ohio this year.
Thirty-five
of the 102 equine diagnosed with West Nile in Kentucky
last year died or were euthanized. There were 513 equine
cases of West Nile in the state in 2002, the first full
year of West Nile virus activity in Kentucky , of which
137 died or were euthanized.
The
Kentucky Department for Public Health reported that
14 people contracted West Nile in Kentucky in 2003,
and one died. In 2002, the state had 75 human cases
of West Nile and five deaths.
West
Nile Virus causes encephalitis, or inflammation of the
brain, in horses, birds, and other warm-blooded animals
as well as humans. Horses and humans do not transmit
the disease. West Nile was first discovered in the United
States in 1999 in New York City .
For
more information, log on to the Kentucky Department
of Agriculture's Web site at www.kyagr.com
or state government's West Nile site at www.westnile.ky.gov
.
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