DENVER (AP) — Hundreds of Colorado properties are under quarantine after a rabies-like virus outbreak has been confirmed in horses.
KMGH-TV reported Tuesday that the Colorado Veterinarians Office has confirmed Vesicular Stomatitis Virus on 213 properties in Colorado after first appearing in Texas and spreading through New Mexico.
Health officials say a New Jersey strain of the virus was last in Colorado’s livestock in 2014, but this current virus is a subtype from Indiana that the state’s horses have no immunity against.
Officials say this highly contagious virus is transmitted through various flies and could affect county and state fairs and workers on ranches and farms.
Officials say 400 cases have been investigated this year and only one case has been confirmed in cattle, while the remaining cases are in horses.
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Information from: KMGH-TV, http://www.thedenverchannel.com