Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

FWIW, the strain of WNV that has hit the US was traced to Israeli geese (as an Egyptian resident, there's a joke there, but I won't go...) so it isn't the same strain that we have.  However, it would seem that in its first sweep across the continent it is hitting the sensitive populations hard at first and then becoming less virulent. The avian population is the one that's really taken a beating, but it's pretty hard to protect wild birds.  

That is the usual pattern for a new virus or bacteria since one that kills its host too quickly doesn't have the chance to pass on its genes. I suspect that you would find that WNV in various parts of the world is different. It exists in many parts of Africa, Asia and Europe, although it was first isolated in Uganda about 70 years ago.  As far as I know, horses that get WNV here and presumably in the US develop an immunity. I would imagine that mares give the immunity to nursing foals and hopefully after weaning they are strong enough to handle the virus on their own.  But with the exchange rates being enormously against us, it is only the wealthiest horse owners who can even afford to consider the vaccine, and many question whether the vaccine for a strain of WNV that isn't here is such a good idea.

Our vaccination schedules are not the same as yours because of availability and cost of vaccines. We do vaccinate for tetanus and some equine diseases, but not all.  We don't have strangles vaccine here at all. None of our horses are vaccinated for strangles and for us it is an equine childhood disease.  Most of our foals contract it sometime after they are weaned and we just nurse them through it. Unless someone is an idiot and gives them antibiotics, the babies pull through just fine.

So far, so good.

Maryanne
Cairo

On Sunday, Aug 8, 2004, at 20:15 Africa/Cairo, sherman wrote:

> ?
> I was recently wondering about the need to continually vaccinate for WNV. Since the mosquitos are potentially now biting us with the virus, wouldn't we get a natural immunity to the disease? Is that what's happened in Egypt? Or are horses & people still facing a big risk in Egypt from WNV? Also, I haven't heard of any WNV deaths in the US in geographical areas that it is not newly arrived in. Is it just not publicized because it's not news anymore in those areas, or are there no deaths? Just curious...
> ?
> BTW, all the hunters I know are fully aware of the spread of CWD. At least where I live, we are so over-populated with deer, we hope for some natural event to keep their numbers down.
> ?
> Kathy
> Grass Valley
>
> Maryanne wrote:
>
> If I were to test a majority of my neighbours here, we would find
> positive scores for WNV.? Most of us had it and never knew. Likewise,
> most of our horses have had it as well, but no one ever knew. The best
> thing you can do is to keep your immune system healthy: eat properly,
> rest, avoid stress (yeah, right, lady!!! <G>), and so on.? Back in the
> 40's the US military determined that a vaccine for WNV would be easy to
> do, but it wasn't economically viable because at that point the only
> people who had it were too poor to defray the development and sales
> costs.? So no one ever bothered....Not until millions of horse owners
> became concerned in the US.? That's why there is an equine vaccine
> (which we don't use, BTW) but no human vaccine.
>
>
> Interesting that CWD hasn't gotten ANY press time.....but then wild
> deer don't have owners to vaccinate them.
>
> Maryanne
> Being morbid in Cairo
Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
Cairo, Egypt
www.alsorat.com

"The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for"  Louis L'Amour