West Nile detected in Delaware horse for first time since 2015

The West Nile virus has been detected in a Delaware horse for the first time since 2015, state officials said late Tuesday night.

The virus, which can be a danger to people's health, was found in an 11-year-old Quarter horse mare in Kent County, according to a news release. The horse started showing weakness in its limbs Aug. 6 and eventually wasn't able to stand. It was euthanized Aug. 9.

Samples were sent to the Delaware Public Health Laboratory the day after and researchers confirmed the diagnoses of the West Nile Virus. The horse was not vaccinated.

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Last week, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Mosquito Control Section said there have been two cases of the virus in sentinel chickens and one in a wild crow this summer. No cases of West Nile have been found in humans this year.

The state recommends horse owners contact their vets to have their horses vaccinated against West Nile and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, another mosquito-borne viral disease. EEE infections in horses are fatal in about 70-90 percent of the cases and West Nile is fatal in about 30 percent of the cases.

Horses should also be kept inside during dawn and dusk, which are the peak hours for mosquitoes. Water troughs and buckets should be emptied, cleaned and refilled every couple of days in order to remove any mosquito eggs or larvae.

More: State asks residents to report sick, dead birds to help monitor West Nile virus

No Delawareans were infected with the virus last year, officials said. However, 2,038 people in the country had the virus in 2016, which led to 94 deaths.

People can report sick or dead birds, common hosts for the virus, to the Mosquito Control Section between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the week. Residents in New Castle County and Kent County (from Dover north) should call the Glasgow office at (302) 836-2555. The remainder of Kent County and Sussex County should call the Milford office at (302) 422-1512.

Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @merenewman.