Horse Disease Hits Mexico and
The USDA has declared a threatening the nation’s horse
national emergency that is industry following a outbreak
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of a disease in Mexico and Tex
as.
But local sources indicate the
disease does not affect Pennsyl
vania at this time and likely
will not reach this area.
To help seal off spread of the
disease, transportation of horses
from five states, New Mexico,
Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and
Arkansas has been banned. Abe
Diffenbach, New Holland
Stables sales manager, said the
four states around Texas have
not actually encountered the
disease but are being used as a
buffer zone from Texas.
Diffenbach said only one load
of horses from lowa has been
turned away from the New Hol
land Horse auction as result of
the disease scare. This was a
load which had no tempera
ture chart and Diffenbach indi
cated he expects the animals
back with this situation correct
ed soon.
Diffenbach also noted that
there was a similar scare in
volving the Eastern-Western
sleeping sickness disease about
four years ago. The same vac
cine used then is being used
now to fight the current out
break but Diffenbach indicated
he doesn’t think the vaccine is
as effective as before.
Meanwhile, the USDA report-
>■ >'
v
i \T
Texas; Not Expected Locally
ed last week that more than
152,000 horses have already
been vaccinated in Texas and
that sufficient vaccine is being
supplied to Texas to meet the
emergency. The USDA also in
dicated the vaccine will be
made available in areas outside
Texas, if deemed necessary.
USDA f s Agricultural Re
search Service has assigned
veterinarians in states adjoin
ing Texas to assist in providing
surveillance for the disease in
outlying areas.
The disease is reported being
spread by insects, particularly
mosquitoes, and the U.S. Air
Force is applying the insecti
cide Malathion for control of
mosquitoes. While the rapid
spread of the disease has made
it difficult to keep up with ac
curate figures on the toll,
USDA reported last week that
800 horses are already dead in
Texas, with more than 1,000
others possibly infected.
The entire state of Texas is
under federal quarantine,
which requires that all horses
intended to he moved from the
state must be accompanied by
a health and vaccination certi
ficate showing that each in
dividually identified animal has
been vaccinated at least 14 days
before its movement from the
717-464-3321
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 31,1971
state.
The USDA said last week
that one of the difficulties in
the control of the disease is the
uncertainty regarding the vac
cine. Sufficient laboratory
studies have not been complet
ed to determine whether the
vaccine can spread the disease
and whether or not the vaccine
itself can cause illness in the
horse. For these reasons the
federal government has been
cautious in committing the use
of the vaccine in areas where
the disease has not been known
to exist, it was explained.
In declaring an emergency in
connection with the disease,
Clifford Hardin, U.S. Secretary
of Agriculture, authorized “the
transfer from other appropria
tions or funds available to the
agencies and corporations of
the Department such sums as
may be necessary for all proper
purposes ... to control and era
dicate the disease wherever
found.”
The disease itself is known as
Venezuelan eqquine encephalo
myelitis (VEE).
Maryland State Veterinarian
Dr. T. A. Ladson said the
Venezuelan disease may be
transmitted directly among
both humans and horses and
for this reason is difficult to
control. He described it as a
greater hazard to the horse in
dustry than the past Eastern
and Western varieties of the
disease.
He also said that early diag
nosis is important and he urged
anyone having any knowledge
of a sickness similar to sleep
ing sickness in horses to contact
an animal health office or
veterinarian immediately.
He said horse owners should
keep a close eye on their ani
mals, especially from now
through November, and report
any suspected illness quickly.
Elsewhere Garrett Redmond,
vice president of Fireman’s
Fund American Insurance Com
panies in San Francisco, assur
ed horse owners in the South
west that if horses die as a re
sult of innoculation of vaccine
their insurance policy will pay
the loss. “We are taking the
position that it is better to use
the vaccine, even though its ef
fects on horses is not entirely
known, than to do nothing and
just let the horses die,” he ex
plained.
He said his company is not
cancelling any policies. On new
and renewal policies in the five
quarantined states, coverage for
the disease is being excluded,
however He said the exclusion
does not apply to existing poli
cies and would be lifted on new
policies when the epidemic
passes.
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