State Veterinarian Update
West Nile Virus - As of October 15, there were 26 cases reported in Utah. More than a third of affected horses died or were euthanized. West Nile Virus is spread by mosquitoes and can also affect birds and people. All cases except 1 were in unvaccinated horses. Annual vaccination in the spring can protect horses from the disease.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) - This summer, 25 dairies were quarantined for HPAI in Cache, Box Elder, and Weber Counties. Affected dairies experienced milk loss, reduced feed consumption, fevers, abortions, and death. HPAI was also diagnosed in 2 commercial poultry operations and in captive mink. UDAF worked with counties with affected dairies to declare a state of emergency to provide additional financial support to facilities.
New World Screwworm (NWS) - As of October 26, there have been 65 detections of NWS in domestic animals and 1 wild fly detection in the United States. All detections to date have been in Texas and New Mexico. While Mexico is not allowing the importation of any US animals other than pet dogs, USDA has opened 2 border ports for the importation of Mexican cattle. USDA and the affected states are working with producers to detect cases and rapidly implement movement restrictions.
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