Colorado Equine WNV Case Count Rises to 12

Cases have been confirmed in Larimer, Weld, LaPlata, Adams, Mesa, and Pueblo counties.
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As of Sept. 27, 12 horses in Colorado have been confirmed to be infected with West Nile virus (WNV), the state Department of Agriculture has reported.

The affected horses are located in:  

  • Larimer County—4 cases
  • Weld County—3 cases
  • LaPlata County—2 cases
  • Adams County—1 case
  • Mesa County—1 case
  • Pueblo County—1 case

West Nile is transmitted to horses via bites from infected mosquitoes. As such, Colorado State Veterinarian Keith Roehr, DVM, said, “Strict insect control is an important factor to inhibit the transmission of West Nile Virus. I encourage livestock owners to keep an eye out for standing water for mosquito populations.”

Clinical signs for WNV include flulike signs, where the horse seems mildly anorexic and depressed; fine and coarse muscle and skin fasciculation; hyperesthesia (hypersensitivity to touch and sound); changes in mentation (mentality), when horses look like they are daydreaming or "just not with it"; occasional somnolence (drowsiness); propulsive walking (driving or pushing forward, often without control); and "spinal" signs, including asymmetrical weakness. Some horses show asymmetrical or symmetrical ataxia. Equine mortality rate can be as high as 30-40%

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