Fever, poor diet, or even muscle tremors and paralysis. A symptom profile that fits the West Nile virus. At the beginning of October, the virus was detected in two horses in South Holland. Both showed neurological complaints.
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'Not every horse or pony shows neurological symptoms,' emphasizes Eva Dieterman, an equine veterinarian at Royal GD. 'They can also be infected with the West Nile virus without showing any obvious symptoms,' adds her colleague Linda van den Wollenberg. In horses, an infection often proceeds without clear symptoms. 'Sometimes mild symptoms occur, such as fever and lethargy, they feel uncomfortable or are a bit listless. In 10 percent of cases, neurological symptoms arise, including ataxia, muscle tremors, and paralysis. Severe cases can lead to euthanasia,' explains Van den Wollenberg. With mild symptoms, not everyone immediately thinks of an infection with the West Nile virus. Especially since this virus is almost non-existent in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, the first two cases in horses were detected in the Netherlands at the beginning of October, both in South Holland. 'These horses are not housed at the same address,' says Dieterman. That is not necessary either. The virus is ...