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Midwestern state confirms WNV in horse

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has announced that a horse in Cherry County has been confirmed positive with West Nile Virus (WNV). This is the first case of WNV in an equine in Nebraska since 2003. WNV affects the equine species (including horses, mules and donkeys) as well as birds and humans.

The two-year old gelding exhibited clinical suggestive signs of WNV, and is currently recovering. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed the positive case.

WNV causes encephalitis in humans and equine. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, which acquire it from infected birds. Horses, mules and donkeys are infected when bitten by an infected mosquito. The virus does not spread from equine to equine.

For more information on or to report suspected cases of WNV in equine, contact your local veterinarian, NDA’s Bureau of Animal Industry at (402) 471-2351, or USDA/APHIS/Veterinary Services at (402) 434-2300.