West Nile Vaccine Shown to Save Horses' Lives

by Sherry Morse

Colorado State University researchers have found that although administering vaccinations against the West Nile virus to horses will not completely protect them from the disease, the shots can significantly reduce the animals’ chances of being killed by it.

The researchers studied data pertaining to almost 1,500 horses in Colorado and Nebraska that had contracted the virus. The scientists discovered that 36.6 percent of the unvaccinated animals died from the disease, and 20.3 percent of the horses vaccinated did.

Only about 2.5 percent of all of the animals had received both of the recommended shots in the suggested timeframe.

"There were only a small number of animals in the study that were fully vaccinated, and for those with known survival status, all of them lived," said Tricia Salazar, DVM, who participated in conducting the research.

Middle-aged horses were found to be most likely to contract the virus.

"The most important message here is that if you vaccinate your horse, the mortality rate goes down dramatically," said Colorado Department of Agriculture veterinarian Dr. Wayne Cunningham.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.