ABQjournal: Diseases Don't Slow Fair -
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Published on: 8/22/2003
Last Visited: 8/22/2003
And that's as it should be, said Dr. Steven England, New Mexico state veterinarian.After the diagnosis last week of West Nile Virus in two horses in McIntosh and an unconfirmed case of the disease in an Edgewood horse over the weekend, England said there is cause for concern but not at the fairs."West Nile is every place," he said."Edgewood has no dibs on it."People and horses are "dead-end hosts" for West Nile, England said, meaning they don't spread the disease.West Nile infects large birds like crows, ravens and some hawks and eagles.Mosquitoes spread the infection to other animals.Because horses get the disease from mosquitoes but don't spread it, there is no danger in being around an infected animal at a rodeo or a county fair, England said.Now that New Mexico has West Nile virus, which has spread all the way to California, the disease will always be a threat in the warmer months, England said.New Mexicans will need to get accustomed to taking more precautions against mosquitoes, he said.Eliminating standing water around residences, using insect repellent on humans and horses and avoiding the outdoors at dusk when insects are at their most active are just a few of the steps England recommends.Prolonged drought in New Mexico has been a blessing as far as West Nile is concerned, England added.Mosquitoes breed more successfully in wetter climates.But 2003 has already produced as many cases of West Nile in New Mexico as all of 2002, which topped out at 61 cases- none in humans.Four human cases have been confirmed in New Mexico so far this year."People need to be careful because this stuff is serious," England said.Though some people still resist vaccinating their horses against the virus, England strongly advises doing it as soon as possible.Research on the vaccine shows it is 96 percent effective, he said.And while horse owners can get away with a once-a-year inoculation, England said he gives his own horses the shot every six months just to be on the safe side.