08/16/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/16/2024 09:26
Preventing mosquito bites is the first step to preventing mosquito-borne disease
LANSING, MI - Today, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is reporting Michigan's first case of West Nile virus (WNV) for 2024 in a domestic animal. The case occurred in a three-year-old Percheron colt from Eaton County. The horse was unvaccinated against the disease. This detection highlights the importance for Michiganders to continue taking precautions to protect their animals and themselves from mosquito bites.
"On July 21, 2024, the horse became ill with a lack of coordination, facial muscle twitches, and being down with an inability to rise. Subsequent testing revealed the animal was positive for WNV," said State Veterinarian Dr. Nora Wineland, DVM, MS, DACVPM. "The key to protecting any domestic animal species from WNV or other mosquito-borne diseases is to safeguard them from mosquitoes and work with your veterinarian to vaccinate as appropriate."
Even though WNV typically circulates between birds and mosquitoes, mosquitoes can also transmit the disease to people and other animals, especially horses. In Michigan, the disease is usually seen every summer through early fall. Mosquito-borne diseases, like WNV, are not spread by horse-to-horse or horse-to-human contact.
This year in Michigan, WNV has been detected in 49 mosquito pools, 19 wild birds, and one human. Eastern equine encephalitis, another mosquito-borne disease affecting both animals and humans, was detected in a horse earlier this month. For the latest information on cases of mosquito-borne diseases in Michigan, please visit Michigan.gov/EmergingDiseases for weekly summaries.
To prevent the occurrence of mosquito-borne diseases in horses and other animals, owners can:
Michiganders can stay healthy by using simple, effective strategies to protect themselves and their families. The following steps are recommended to avoid mosquito-borne diseases:
For more information about WNV, please visit www.Michigan.gov/WNV.
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