The U.S. Department of Agriculture is recommending that animal owners take several precautions to protect their animals from West Nile virus.

“Given that mosquitoes were associated with the 1999 outbreak, the key to preventing or controlling future outbreaks of West Nile virus among horses, livestock, or poultry is to prevent animals from being exposed to mosquitoes,” said Michael V. Dunn, under secretary for USDA’s marketing and regulatory programs.

West Nile is a vector-borne virus causing encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. It was first recognized in the Western Hemisphere in 1999.

The following recommendations are based on current knowledge about WNV and the 1999 U.S. outbreak