In 2015, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) confirmed 38 cases of West Nile virus (WNV) and six cases of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in Texas horses.

The positive cases were found from the panhandle to Dallas, to south Texas and the Houston area. The southeastern region of the state had the most positive cases.

The common factor in each case was confirmation from the owner or veterinarian that the horse had not been vaccinated against these common neurologic diseases. As such, Terry S. Hensley, MS, DVM, TVMDL assistant director and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service veterinarian, recommends that all Texas horses should be vaccinated annually because of the state’s history with WNV and EEE.

"Horse owners may want to save a few dollars by not vaccinating their horse for some of the diseases they see as uncommon to their home area," he said. "But the wide geographic range of cases in 2015 dispels the belief that only horses in areas of the Texas with higher rainfall are susceptible to these mosquito-borne diseases