Horse with West Nile virus infection in the Germany-Netherlands border area

It is not clear where the horse contracted the infection; in the weeks before the complaints appeared, the horse was mainly in Grafschaft Bentheim, but also partly in the Netherlands. The West Nile virus is spread by birds, in which reproduction can take place, after which the virus can then be transmitted by mosquitoes to horses but also to humans. A horse is the final host and cannot spread the virus further. People cannot become infected through a horse. An infection with West Nile virus in horses is often subclinical, but if symptoms do occur, they are often non-specific, such as fever, anorexia and lethargy. However, neurological symptoms occur in 10% of infected horses. West Nile virus is a zoonosis that is notifiable, but not subject to control. Determining an infection in a horse therefore has no consequences for the horse in question or the location where it resides. The West Nile virus has been present in southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean for some time. In recent ...