Until recently, Douglas County resident and horsewoman Vickie Avery thought of West Nile Virus as “one of those things that’s someplace else.”

But reports that the disease, which has killed horses and humans, is expected to reach Kansas by this summer have spurred Avery to consider preventive measures.

The Centers for Disease Control is predicting that the West Nile Virus, which can be deadly to humans and horses, will reach Kansas by summer. Douglas County resident Benny Smith owns about 10 horses and is awaiting word from his veterinarian on when or if to vaccinate his animals. On Saturday, Smith fed two horses that will be giving birth soon.

“I probably will vaccinate my horses for it,” said Avery, who has two horses and owns New Traditions, an equestrian equipment and accessory store in Lawrence.

The virus, first seen in New York in 1999, has spread as far west as Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. It’s typically transmitted by mosquitos, which feed on infected birds. The virus causes encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.

West Nile killed two people and 23 horses during 2000 in East Coast states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At least 71 horses died in 2001.

Historically, the virus kills or leads to the euthanization of 38 percent of infected horses and has a 30 percent death rate in humans, for whom no vaccine exists.

However, a horse vaccine is available, and though the virus has yet to hit Kansas which is home to about 65,000 horses area veterinarians have been dispensing the potentially life-saving shots since about the first of the year.

“There’s no need to panic,” said Bonnie Rush, professor of equine internal medicine at Kansas State University. “But certainly you should be aware of the disease and be thinking about getting your horses vaccinated.”

‘Ahead of the curve’

State health officials and university scientists are monitoring the virus and should know as soon as it enters the state.

“Every place else the virus has been, the death of crows has preceded human disease and horse disease,” Rush said. “We’ll have some signs that it’s here.”

Area equine veterinarians are keeping tabs on the virus as well.

“We’re ahead of the curve on this,” said Matt Zupka, a Topeka-based veterinarian who serves Douglas County horse owners. “We’ve been paying attention to the spread of the disease and the epidemiology.”

That’s good news for folks like Benny Smith, who owns 10 horses he keeps at his farm just south of Lawrence. He’s holding out on vaccinating his horses until he gets the go-ahead from his veterinarian.

“We heard about the crows in St. Louis last fall,” he said. “Our veterinarian keeps us posted on the progress of that coming our way. He gives us good advice.”

The equine West Nile vaccine, like all vaccines, is not 100 percent effective. However, clinicians who examined infected horses in Florida found that the disease was less severe in horses that had been vaccinated, Rush said.

Veterinarians in the Douglas County area are charging between $20 and $30 for the vaccine, which requires two shots the first year and an additional shot every six months to a year.

Controlling mosquitos

If a horse contracts West Nile Virus, Rush said, the signs will be neurological anywhere from facial twitches to severe incoordination.

“It will be impossible to differentiate it, based on a clinical exam, from rabies, western encephalitis and equine protozoal myelitis,” she said, referring to other neurological diseases that afflict horses. “All of those diseases could look very similar to West Nile.”

The best way to protect horses from the potentially debilitating effects of West Nile, aside from getting the vaccine, is to take steps to control the mosquito population, Rush said. That includes removing potential breeding sites by controlling standing water, keeping repellent on horses, getting rid of old tires or other objects where stagnant water could accumulate and keeping horses inside during dusk when mosquitos are likely to be feeding.

“All of those things will be as important as vaccination in prevention of the disease,” Rush said.

Avery said it sometimes could be difficult to tell whether veterinarians were pushing vaccines for the good of the animal or the good of their pocketbooks. But she said horse owners in the area keep each other up-to-speed on the latest research and she feels better knowing a vaccine is available for her horses.

“It seems like you’re giving them shots for everything. But on the other hand, we have control of their lives,” Avery said. “If you choose to own one, then it’s your responsibility to do your best by them.