West Nile Virus Found In Horses In Four Kansas Counties

The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health announced Friday morning they have notification of multiple confirmed cases of West Nile Virus in horses. They were reported in Barber, Butler, Douglas and Pratt counties.

West Nile Virus is a virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes. They can infect humans, horses, birds and other species. Horses infected with West Nile Virus can have symptoms that range from depression, loss of appetite and fever, to severe neurological signs such as incoordination, weakness, inability to rise, and hypersensitivity to touch or sound.

West Nile Virus can be prevented by annual vaccination in horses. The Department says all of the confirmed cases in Kansas were in unvaccinated horses, or horses with an unknown vaccination history, and are thereby assumed to be unvaccinated. By law, veterinarians are required to inform the Department if they have any confirmed cases of West Nile Virus.

Additional information about the virus or other animal diseases are available on the Kansas Department of Agriculture website.