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Last updated on Monday, August 20, 2012
(UNDATED) - West Nile is still here, and the State Board of Animal Health wants to make sure that your horse is protected.
It's been 10 years since West Nile first hit, but Dr. Sandy Norman with the Indiana's Board of Animal Health says if you own a horse, stay up on shots for the animal.
Norman says about one in three horses that contract the mosquito borne disease, die, but acting quickly can save the horse's life.
Norman says the best time to get your horse vaccinated is the spring, but now is also a good time since the Culex Mosquito, the main culprit behind West Nile, loves a long stretch of warm weather, like we've had recently.
Norman says three horses in Indiana have died this year, but those are just the confirmed cases.
About one in three horses will die from the illness, but the chances of survival are better if the horse is treated as soon as symptoms like dizziness and disorientation show up.
Last month, four mosquitoes taken from a batch near the Huntingburg Waste Water Treatment plant tested positive for the West Nile virus.
Mosquitoes have also tested positive for West Nile in Martin, Spencer, Orange, Pike, Daviess and Knox counties this year.
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