Better vaccinations could lower West Nile horse deaths

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A better rate of vaccination may aid in a decline in the rate of equine exposure to West Nile virus, officials believe. <br><br>Of the 963 horses contracting the West Nile virus, 135

Tuesday, November 19th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A better rate of vaccination may aid in a decline in the rate of equine exposure to West Nile virus, officials believe.

Of the 963 horses contracting the West Nile virus, 135 have died, state veterinarian Burke Healey said Monday.

The number should plateau and decline by the end of the year because many horses are getting the third in a series of vaccine shots.

``The booster shot does give horses added protection,'' Healey said.

The normal schedule for equine West Nile protection is two doses of the vaccine _ the first shot followed by a second dose three to four weeks later.

A third dose, or booster shot, about 12 months after the second dose is recommended, Healey said.

Many Oklahoma horse breeders, especially those in parts of the state with large concentrations of mosquitoes, gave the booster shot six months after the recommended two-dose regimen, Healey said.

A few Oklahoma horses that had two doses of the vaccine died.

Last week, the number of confirmed cases in the state equine population was 951, with 126 confirmed deaths. By Monday, Healey was reporting two more cases and nine more confirmed deaths.

Equine West Nile virus has been reported in all 77 Oklahoma counties, with deaths in 52 counties. Horses have been infected by mosquitoes that got it from birds that carried the virus.

The virus can lead to a brain inflammation known as West Nile encephalitis.

A rainy summer and fall exacerbated the West Nile virus problem in Oklahoma, resulting in higher-than-normal populations of culex mosquitoes that spread the disease, officials said.

Two Oklahomans have died from the virus.