Controlling mosquitoes is the first line of defense against West Nile Virus
Nothing outperforms Outlaw against West Nile-bearing mosquitoes
West Nile is a mosquito-borne virus first detected in the United States in 1999. The virus, which causes encephalitis or inflammation of the brain, had previously been identified in Africa, Western Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. In the six years since entering the United States, West Nile Virus (WNV) has been found in virtually all corners of the U.S.
Mosquitoes acquire WNV from birds and pass it on to other birds, animals and people. The principal transmitter of West Nile Virus is the Northern House Mosquito (Culex pipiens). While humans and horses may be infected by the virus, there is no documentation that infected horses can directly spread the virus to uninfected horses or other animals.
Symptoms of West Nile Virus
Not all infected horses display symptoms of WNV. In horses that do become clinically ill, the virus infects the central nervous system and causes symptoms of encephalitis including loss of appetite and depression, in addition to any combination of the following signs: fever, weakness or paralysis of hind limbs, muzzle twitching, impaired vision, ataxia (lack of coordination), head pressing, aimless wandering, convulsions, inability to swallow, circling, hyper-excitability or coma.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), as many as 33% of horses diagnosed with West Nile Virus ultimately die or are euthanized.
Why Outlaw is your best defense
In a controlled test, Sentry Outlaw Equine Squeeze-On killed or repelled 82% of face flies in the first 24 hours, while a permethrin horse squeeze-on controlled only 69% for the same time period. What’s more, clinical tests show that 100% of the Culex mosquitoes, the particular mosquito that carries the West Nile Virus, were not biting horses treated with Outlaw Equine Squeeze-On 11 days after application.
Outlaw Equine Fly Spray similarly outperforms competitive products. In clinical trials between Outlaw Equine Fly Spray, Farnam® Endure™ and a control formula, new Outlaw Equine Fly Spray repelled biting flies and other pests with 90% efficacy for a full two weeks, while Endure showed similar performance for only 9 days. While both the Endure Spray and the Outlaw Equine Fly Spray provided good protection against mosquitoes for at least seven days after application, on day 14 the Outlaw Equine Fly Spray worked the best. When horses were sprayed a second time after day 14, the percentage of mosquitoes repelled 22 days later was much higher. Outlaw again performed better than the other two sprays.
What else you can do
Although vaccines are available, the first line of defense against WNV is controlling the mosquitoes that carry the disease. In addition to regular treatment with Outlaw Equine Squeeze-On and/or Outlaw Equine Fly Spray here are tips to help you minimize the risk to horses.
• Bring horses indoors at dawn and dusk, peak periods of mosquito activity.
• Because mosquitoes are attracted to lights, avoid turning them on inside the stable during the evening and overnight. Fluorescent lights are preferable for stable lighting because they are less attractive to mosquitoes. Incandescent lights around the perimeter may help draw mosquitoes away from the stable area.
• Remove all birds, including chickens, that are in or close to the stable.
• Eliminate areas of standing water on your property. Shallow standing water, used tires, manure storage pits, and drainage areas with stagnant water are ideal mosquito breeding places.
• Clean clogged roof gutters every year, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to plug up the drains. Millions of mosquitoes breed in roof gutters each season.
• Fans in the stable will help deter mosquitoes.
• Fog stable premises with a pesticide in the evening to reduce mosquitoes.
For more information on West Nile Virus, visit the U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection site.
