This message is from: "Jon A. Ofjord" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
At 10:50 AM 3/26/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>-
>More importantly, is there any proof of the vaccine's effectiveness
>
>Brigid Wasson
>SF Bay Area, CA
Brigid: Here's some more information, in part, from an article written
by:Larissa Minicucci, DVM, and Jeffrey Bender, DVM, MS, DACVPM from the
University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in the March 2003
issue of Horse'n Around:
".......In 1999, the disease affected 25 horses in Long
Island,NY. Thirty-six percent of these horses died. West Nile spread
throughout the Northeast in 2000 affecting 60 horses in seven states, this
time with a fatality rate of 38 percent. In 2001, the disease spread south
along the eastern seaboard and began movement westward. Seven hundred
thirty-eight (738) horses in 20 states were affected with the majority of
ill horses residing in Florida. Thirty three percent (33%) of the affected
horses died or were euthanized. The year 2002 saw the most dramatic
increase in equine cases of West Nile. Forty states identified equine
cases amounting to a total of 14,717 horses in the United
States. Minnesota was especially hard hit with 992 equine cases."
"......The West Nile vaccine is manufactured by Fort Dodge Animal Health
and has been shown to be 94% effective. It is recommended that horses
receive two doses three weeks apart. The vaccine should be given
intramuscularly and administered at least three weeks before the start of
mosquito season. A booster should then be administered yearly. In
Minnesota this past year, approximately 60 percent of test positive horses
were not vaccinated. Of the ill vaccinated horses, many received only one
dose. Horses that were fully vaccinated (received two doses) were found to
be 2.5 times more likely to survive than unvaccinated horses."
"......For more information, please contact the following web sites:
* College of Veterinary Medicine - http://www.umn.cvm.edu/
* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/q&a.hrtm
* United States Department of Agriculture - www.aphis.usda.gov
* Minnesota Department of Health - www.health.state.mn.us
* Minnesota Board of Animal Health - www.bah.state.mn.us
I hope this answers some questions for you. With the coming of mosquito
season just around the corner, it would be wise to try and protect your
horses. This disease also affects humans too.
Jon & Mary Ofjord
North Coast Fjords
Grand Marais, MN 55604
