News
VSV precautions at State Fair
Vesicular Stomatitis has been detected in several horses and on one cattle operation in Missouri prompting extra precautions for cattle being shown at the State Fair. Sami Jo Freeman, communications director for the Missouri Department of Agriculture, tells Brownfield Ag News, “Before animals are stalled or penned up we will be having a visual inspection for health purposes to see that all animals are free of the virus.”
She says Vesicular Stomatitis was first detected in a horse in Newton County, in southwest Missouri, July 14th, “As of the last USDA state rep we have five confirmed on equine premises and one on a cattle premises in Cedar County.”
Freeman says 16 premises have been released from quarantine in Newton, Lawrence and Jasper Counties. She says the virus is not fatal…
“You may see your livestock go off of feed just because of uncomfortable lesions in their mouth but, otherwise, if you transition them to soft foods you can see a pretty low impact if your herd does have the virus.” The virus is transmitted through biting flies.
Livestock being shown at the State Fair that have originated from a county with VS must have their animals examined by an accredited vet, recorded on a health certificate, within 48 hours before arrival.
