Disease Updates for Wisconsin and Colorado

Two Wisconsin horses were euthanized due to Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection. One horse was a 17-year-old Quarter Horse mare, and the other was a 2-year-old Quarter Horse/Paint filly. Both were from Monroe County and were unvaccinated. Wisconsin now has had 10 confirmed EEE cases this year.

There also have been six additional West Nile virus (WNV) cases in the state. Two horses were euthanized due to the severity of their conditions: An under-vaccinated yearling Arabian gelding from Outagamie County and a 9-year-old, unvaccinated Percheron gelding from Sauk County. 

Four WNV-affected horses are recovering: A 23-year-old, unvaccinated Quarter Horse gelding from Dane County; a 9-year-old, unvaccinated Quarter Horse mare from Oneida County; a 5-year-old pony mare of unknown vaccination status from Langlade County; and an 8-year-old, unvaccinated Belgian mare from St. Croix County. 

Another WNV case was confirmed on September 7 in Racine County. The 7-year-old Arab mare is recovering. 

Wisconsin now has had 13 confirmed WNV cases for 2017.

WNV in Colorado Counties

The Colorado Department of Agriculture reported four new cases of horses with West Nile virus, bringing the total count for the year to five. Cases have been confirmed in the following Colorado counties: Boulder, Lincoln, Mesa and Larimer (2 cases).

This article was created with information from the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC). The EDCC works to protect horses and the horse industry from the threat of infectious diseases in North America. The communication system is designed to seek and report real time information about disease outbreaks similar to how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerts the human population about diseases in people.