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[RC] Tall Pines - Silver City, NM - Patti KuvikFrom: WRSINOSKY@xxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Tall Pines - Silver City, NM Is anybody out there going to the Tall Pines ride Sept. 5??? I'm a bit concerned about the VS which has been in Texas and now filtered into Colorado and New Mexico. So far, nobody has been saying anything about it and I'm wondering how far west into New Mexico the disease has spread. Cindy in Buckeye, AZ Looks like it's mostly central/northern NM, but the APHIS map http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/vs/vs.html shows one premise near (east of) Silver City This is from the AZ state agriculture site: Please note the following changes to importation of livestock requirements, effective immediately: The following statement is required on all health certificates/certificates of veterinary inspection for all livestock entering Arizona from states having diagnosed Vesicular Stomatitis. "The animal(s) represented on this Health Certificate/Certificate of Veterinary Inspection have not originated from a premises or area under quarantine for Vesicular Stomatitis. I have examined the animal(s) and have found no signs of vesicular stomatitis." Horses' certificates will be valid for only 5 days. If you have questions, please call the Office of the State Veterinarian, 602-542-4293. Don't know how this would affect a horse entering/returning just over a weekend, might want to call the State Vet. Patti Vail AZ ========================================================================== A ProMED-mail post <http://www.promedmail.org> ProMED-mail, a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org> In this posting: [1] New Mexico [2] Colorado ****** [1] New Mexico Date: 27 Aug 2004 From: ProMED-mail <promedmail.org> Source: Los Alamos [New Mexico] Monitor [edited] <http://www.lamonitor.com/articles/2004/08/26/headline_news/news03.txt> Laboratory results involving a deadly livestock disease in Los Alamos County are pending, as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducts blood work. Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is a viral disease primarily affecting cattle, horses and swine. In affected livestock, the disease causes blister-like lesions in the mouth, nostrils and hooves. Raw tissue is exposed after the lesions break, causing great pain to the animal, which in turn generally leads them to not want to eat or drink. Animals may also show signs of lameness, usually followed by severe weight loss. "There are 3 cases of VS pending in Los Alamos County; one in Los Alamos and 2 in White Rock," said Dr. Michael Greenlee, a veterinarian with the Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS). One type of VS is spread by phlebotomine sandflies, but the transfer of animals also can spread the disease. Once introduced to a herd, the disease is quickly dispersed from animal to animal via contact or exposure to saliva or fluid from ruptured lesions, according to the website: <http://www.aphis.usda.gov>. "Vesicular stomatitis can be contracted by humans, and those is close contact with the susceptible livestock should take precautionary measures, some of which include washing one's hands after contact with the animals, keeping stables, pens and troughs clean, as well as attempting to control fly populations," Greenlee said. "I haven't heard of one person who's contracted it (VS)," he said. "It is definitely not a major human health issue." Greenlee said USDA-APHIS in New Mexico will learn within the next few days whether the 3 VS cases under investigation in Los Alamos County test positive. [A woman said] her family's Arabian horse, died last week of what they and their veterinarian believe was vesicular stomatitis. The White Rock family awaits pending blood results from the USDA. "Our horse was elderly but in good health," [the woman] said. "We noticed he wasn't eating and saw sores around his mouth." The [family's] other horse, has been ordered under quarantine. Precautionary measures the family has taken include hanging out fly strips to catch flies and using fly sprays to keep the pests at bay. "We always kept the pens clean," she said With 80 positive cases of vesicular stomatitis in horses alone, New Mexico leads the nation in the number of outbreaks. Colorado follows at a close 45 and Texas with 8, according to a VS report issued 12 Aug 2004 by USDA-APHIS. Valencia County maintains 14 positive premises or areas under quarantine, followed by: Bernalillo County at 9, Rio Arriba County at 7, Eddy County at 5, Socorro County at 4 Taos, Sandoval and Santa Fe counties at 3 and Grant, Mora and San Miguel counties at 1 positive quarantined premise each, according to USDA-APHIS. VS has been confirmed only in North and South America. It is known to be an endemic disease in the warmer regions of the Western Hemisphere, but outbreaks of the disease occasionally occur in temperate geographic areas, according to <http://www.aphis.usda.gov>. The USDA recommends that livestock or horse owners wishing to transport animals should contact the state veterinarian's office in both New Mexico and the state of destination prior to travel to ensure that all requirements, if any, are met. Veterinarians and livestock owners who suspect an animal may have vesicular stomatitis or any other vesicular disease should immediately contact the New Mexico Livestock Board at (505) 841-6161. [Byline: Darryl Newman] - -- ProMED-mail <promed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> ****** [2] Colorado Date: 27 Aug 2004 From: ProMED-mail <promedmail.org> Source: Greeley Tribune [Weld, Colorado] [edited] <http://www.greeleytrib.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040826/NEWS/1082600 42> An infectious disease that hits cattle, horses, sheep and swine has moved into Weld County - ----------------------------- Weld has reported 11 cases of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) -- 8 involving horses and 3 in cattle. There have been 74 confirmed cases statewide, according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture. VSV is characterized by blisters and ulcers on the tongue, mouth, teats or coronary bands of cattle, horses, sheep and swine. [According to the online Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, the coronary band is a band of vascular tissue at the upper edge of the wall of the hoof, which is concerned in the secretion of the wall - CopyEd.PG] Classic symptoms include excessive salivation and lameness and last 7 to 8 days. The disease rarely causes death. The most devastating economic effect has been in the dairy industry. Weld has more than 90 dairies. Fear of VSV kept [a dairy farmer], who has been a dairy farmer east of Greeley for 50 years, from taking his cattle to the state fair this year. "That's nasty. It's not what we need right now," [he] said. He said few dairy farmers he knows took animals to the fair because it's just too risky. The only way to avoid contamination is by keeping the animals separate from others and controlling insects. "We don't move animals more than we have to," [he said] said. Many animals become infected with VSV without demonstrating clinical signs of the disease, said Dr. Wayne Cunningham, the state veterinarian. In the last major outbreak, in 1998, the dairy show at the Colorado State Fair was canceled because of the disease. People who handle VSV-infected animals can also become infected with the disease. In humans, symptoms are similar to flu; only a few cases will have mouth blisters. The symptoms generally last 3 or 4 days. Horses normally recover uneventfully, while cattle lose weight and lactating cows refuse to be milked or let calves nurse. Some cows develop other problems after VSV, resulting in early culling of those animals, Cunningham said. The clinical signs of VSV mimic those of foot and mouth disease (FMD), which presents another problem, Cunningham said. Thoughts of agri-terrorism worry some people in the agriculture industry. "In our present situation, we can't be sure there isn't someone out there spreading FMD. So anyone with cattle, in particular, or other animals such as swine and sheep, who think they might have a diseased animal needs to contact their veterinarian," Cunningham said. [A man], who farms and runs a feed lot east of Kersey, said the thought of someone deliberately spreading FMD is a frightening thought. "Something like that can decimate an entire industry," [he] said. "With some of the crazy people we have out there, we just don't know." Samples will be taken from suspicious animals by state officials and will be analyzed to make sure FMD is not involved. FMD is a highly contagious and economically devastating disease of cattle and swine. Many affected animals recover, but the disease leaves them debilitated. It causes severe losses in the production of meat and milk. Because it spreads widely and rapidly and because it has grave economic as well as physical consequences, FMD is one of the most dreaded animal diseases for livestock owners. "The best thing people can do is control flies around their operations. That's how VSV is spread," Cunningham said. Animals which are in poor health, or under stress or the immune system has been compromised are more likely to have VSV clinical signs. [Byline: Bill Jackson] - -- ProMED-mail <promed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> [There are 2 strains of vesicular stomatitis virus: New Jersey and Indiana. The strains in Colorado have been New Jersey strain. It is likely this is also what is in New Mexico. - Mod.TG] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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