The number of new vesicular stomatitis (VS) cases reported in the United States continued to decline during the Dec. 5-11 USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service VS reporting period. One new equine VS-positive premises was identified in Montezuma, Colorado, during the reporting period. Of the nine states that reported cases of VS this year, Colorado and Wyoming are the only two that remain under quarantine.

Vesicular stomatitis-positive premises are quarantined for 21 days after lesions caused by the disease have healed entirely on all resident livestock. Fifteen premises remain under quarantine–14 of those are expected to be released within the next three weeks.

State veterinarians in nine western states reported more than 580 equine cases of VS on 445 premises beginning in late April this year