Researchers, government officials, and private practitioners who are members of the Emerging Diseases Committee met at the Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center for nearly two hours to discuss how to handle information dissemination to veterinarians and horse owners on West Nile virus (WNV) in Kentucky. The appearance of WNV in the state was not a surprise to anyone, and preparations had already been made where possible to fight this spreading disease.

One of the most important messages to the public is that WNV cannot be spread from an infected horse to any other creature, including other horses or humans. The only way the virus can be spread is by a mosquito first biting an infected bird, then biting another animal (such as a horse or human). This is one of those rare situations where the horse is actually in better shape to fight this problem than the human. While both are susceptible to the disease, there is a recently approved vaccine against WNV for the horse. There is no WNV vaccine for humans.

“We have a vaccine that we hope is effective, and we are going to use it,” said Dr. Roger Murphy, a private practitioner who is president of the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners and the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association. However, it is important for all species that an extensive mosquito eradication program be undertaken immediately.

“Only 1% of mosquitoes are carriers of this virus, and of those humans bitten by carrier mosquitoes, only 1% develop a serious illness,” said Dr. Barry Meade of the USDA office in Frankfort, Ky