Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Early Signs of WNV

> I don't understand the Nov booster for MN & WI horses. The mosquitoes are
> usually gone by early Oct. If the effect of the booster only lasts 6
months,
> then a Nov booster would loose its effectiveness before the mosquitoes
> became a problem the next spring.
>
> For MN & WI horses, an annual booster in April would seem to make more
> sense. Unless, of course, you're going to be taking your horse to an area
> where mosquitoes are still active.

I don't know if this is the real reason, Steve, but just going from the
basics of how vaccines work (and sometimes don't work), it is entirely
possible that this vaccine does not stimulate a sufficient immune response
for the horse to "remember" it for an entire year.  (This would fit with the
already-apparent fact that it does not have a high efficacy in the first
place.)  If that is the case, the rationale of the fall booster would be to
keep the immunity up so that the horse will respond to the spring booster
without having to repeat an entire "initial series" every spring.

Heidi


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