A case of a mosquito-borne disease has been found in Brown County.
The Wisconsin DATCP confirmed that an unvaccinated six-year-old Quarter Horse tested positive for West Nile Virus, making it the first confirmed case in a horse this year.
Symptoms of West Nile Virus in horses include fever, loss of coordination, hind-end weakness, loss of appetite, and the inability to swallow, among others.
The disease can cause brain inflammation in horses, and it is fatal in 30 to 40% of horses showing signs of illness.
While people can be infected, the disease does not directly pass between humans and horses.
Mosquitoes transmit the virus from birds, which serve as natural reservoirs for the disease.
In addition to vaccination, the DATCP recommends removing items that could collect stagnant water, keeping rain gutters drained properly, emptying and replacing birdbaths, and considering keeping horses in the barn from dusk to dawn.
More information can be found at datcp.wi.gov.
