Well, this sheep is crying out "BAAAAAAAACINATE, BAAAAACINATE, BAAAAAACINATE." That is for us sheep who live in the Southeast, and I'll tell you why. There are two horses now dead, as in deceased, buried, planted in the ground, that were put down last week, as a result from contracting West Nile, and their grave sites are 1/2 mile from my house. My county has the largest number of confirmed West Nile cases (equine) in the state of Florida, and the number is increasing daily. My vet is currently treating over a dozen cases of WNV infected horses. She told me she's only had one case where a horse was vaccinated and contracted West Nile (horse didn't receive the booster) and that horse did survive. This is information that is more valid than what I'm receiving from any newswire service. It's really happening, and it's happening here. Go up to the horse owner who just lost her horse (she can't stop crying) and tell her that only 30% of those horses that contract WNV will die. I'm sure she'd love to hear that one. You have no idea how much this woman wishes she had vaccinated her beloved 6 year old, beautiful bay Quarter Horse gelding. She can't stop crying. Visit her once and you won't think twice about whether or not you should vaccinate your horse for this disease. She can't stop crying. If I lived out west I probably wouldn't vaccinate either. You do need mosquitoes to contract the disease. But, I don't live out there, we seem to have plenty of squitoes out this way, so, I'm doing it now. And, I'm glad I did. "BAAAAAAACINATE!" cya, Howard (on the edge of the flock here, and I don't like what I'm seeing. She can't stop crying.) ----- Original Message ----- From: Lif Strand Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2002 12:39 PM To: Ridecamp Subject: Re: [RC] WNV in Colo - Rant Warning Quoted from Maryanne Stroud Gabbani's message:
>The media need to do a SERIOUS reality check. <snip> Just because it's
>become a media pet, doesn't make it the monster from the black lagoon or
>something. Chill.
Creatures from the black lagoon *sell* (so do Martians invading the
planet), everyday reality doesn't. It's very unlikely that will ever see
the media do a serious reality check.
Most people are like sheep - the ones in the middle of the herd panic if
there's a bit of commotion on the edge whether or not they can see what it
is. It takes conscious thought and determination to not be a sheep in the
middle of the herd and most people are way too lazy for that. That's why
all those stupid email hoaxes are so successful - people don't question,
they just accept whatever comes to them as "truth". Heck, that's why rags
like the National Enquirer sell!
So if a drug company puts out a media campaign that implies every horse is
going to die from a virulent "new" disease called West Nile Virus, people
flip out and panic even though it should be rather suspect who's providing
the information, even though the total number of horses that have
contracted WNV is actually quite small (from what I can tell, under 100
horse over 3 years time) and of those approx. 30% have died. We're talking
a *very small number* compared to the total horse horse population over the
course of several years! While I don't have the figures for equine deaths
from other causes, I'd put good money on a bet that says that most horses
that die of contagious disease in this country or anywhere in the world are
*not* dying of WNV!
WNV is a form of encephalitis. Sound familiar? That's because there's
already eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), western equine encephalitis
(WEE), and Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) to worry about too. Are
you currently vaccinating for those three? If not, or if those diseases
aren't a problem in your area, then why worry about WNV? If you want to
worry about some mosquito/insect vectored disease, I'd worry about EIA
(Equine Infectious Anemia) which is just about *always* fatal for horses
who test positive for the disease (from a Coggins test) because only 2
options exist for them: lifelong quarantine in a screened stall or
euthanasia. "Federal and state agencies, as well as the American
Association of Equine Practitioners, support euthanasia as the most prudent
option. " quoted from
http://www.horse-previews.com/598articles/598vetcorner.html
So like Maryanne suggests: Reality check time! WNV is not a likely to
infect your horse! Take reasonable precautions but please, don't be a sheep!
Additional references:
CDC Surveillance and Control of
WNV http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&control.htm
West Nile Virus Q&A (Maryland Dept of Health) http://edcp.org/html/wn.html
_________________________________________________
Lif Strand * Quemado NM USA
STRAND ENTERPRISES * www.fasterhorses.com
Internet Research * Web Design * Fine Art * Horsemanship mentoring
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|
