Third Iowa Horse Confirmed Positive for West Nile Virus in 2019
The Iowa Department of Agriculture confirmed on Aug. 13 that a 3-year-old Standardbred mare died of West Nile virus (WNV) in Mitchell County, Iowa. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Iowa Department of Agriculture confirmed on Aug. 13 that a 3-year-old Standardbred mare died of West Nile virus (WNV) in Mitchell County, Iowa. The mare’s clinical signs, including recumbency (an inability to rise), began Aug. 2, and officials confirmed her positive on Aug. 3.

The first two cases of WNV in Iowa horses this year occurred in Davis and Union counties in south-central Iowa in late June. Mitchell County is in northeastern Iowa.

West Nile virus transmission occurs when infected mosquitoes feed on animals, as well as humans, after having fed on infected birds.

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