Horse virus requires quarantine in O.W.

The Belize Agricultural Health Authority has imposed a quarantine on the Mennonite Community of Shipyard and two other villages in Orange Walk, restricting the movement of horses out of the area, following the outbreak of a viral disease. Three of the animals have died so far and a number of others have shown signs of the malady called V.E.E. As veterinary officer Dr. Miguel Figueroa explains, the disease is not new to Belize, but farmers need to get their animals checked urgently to avoid further contamination.

Dr. Miguel Figueroa, Veterinary Drugs Registrar
?It?s called Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis; it?s a neurological disease that affects horses. They start showing nervous signs, basically they start circling, convulsions, blind, they start stumbling into objects. It?s a virus disease transmitted by mosquitoes.?

Patrick Jones
?How did the disease get to Belize??

Dr. Miguel Figueroa
?The disease has been here for many years. It comes every five to ten years you have an outbreak. It?s been here, it?s prevalent in Belize.?

Patrick Jones
?So what is being done now to control it??

Dr. Miguel Figueroa
?Currently they are conducting vaccinations in the areas where they detected the cases. So we are vaccinating at the moment and there is also public awareness, last weekend personnel from BAHA went to do public awareness in the area of Shipyard to recommend vaccinations. Actually in Belize they are not accustomed to do vaccinations and you have to vaccination on an annual basis.?

According to a press release from the Ministry of Agriculture, vaccine for the disease has been obtained on an emergency basis from Mexico and a massive vaccination campaign for horses is underway in Orange Walk. Dr. Figueroa says while humans can also contract the disease by being in direct contact with an infected horse, most people would not know they have V.E.E. unless they are tested, as symptoms in people are similar to the flu. The BAHA quarantine also includes August Pine Ridge and Guinea Grass villages which border Shipyard. Figueroa says that if the current schedule of vaccinations is maintained, the outbreak should be contained within the next two weeks.