West Nile Virus Hits 352 Ohio Horses
About 35% Die In Ohio; Others Recover

October 2, 2002
By Bob Downing

Three hundred and fifty-two cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed in horses in 68 Ohio counties.

These cases include 77 horses in Holmes County and 52 in Wayne -- the two highest county totals in the state, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Testing at the state's laboratory in Reynoldsburg confirmed the presence of the virus in blood samples from the horses.

Totals from other Northeast Ohio counties are:

• Geauga, 11 horses.
• Stark, seven.
• Cuyahoga, seven.
• Lorain, five.
• Medina, four.
• Summit, three.
• Portage, two.

``This new data confirms what we already know: that West Nile virus is here and our horses are vulnerable,'' said Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Fred Dailey.

About 35 percent of the infected horses died or were euthanized and the rest recovered, officials said.

The virus was first detected in Ohio horses on Aug. 8.

Symptoms in horses include loss of appetite, fever, muscle tremors, weakness, paralysis, impaired vision, lack of coordination, wandering, convulsions, inability to swallow, circling, hyperactivity and coma.

Seven of the infected horses had received two doses of a vaccine against the virus. The other horses infected had not been vaccinated or had gotten only one dose.

Horses are considered sentinels of West Nile, not carriers. People cannot contract the potentially fatal virus from infected horses.

Ohio health officials have reported 269 human cases of West Nile virus and 12 deaths, including a 67-year-old woman from Wooster.

The human cases include six in Stark County, three in Wayne and one each in Summit, Medina and Portage. Cuyahoga County has the most cases with 164.

Health officials also reported that two out-of-state visitors contracted the virus while in Ohio. One was a woman from Arizona, the other a woman from Montana.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/local/4194273.htm