FRANKFORT, Ky. — The warm conditions may have brought spring flowers sooner than normal, but it may also hold the promise for more bugs – especially mosquitoes, once summer officially arrives.

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) is warning horse owners that conditions are looking good for West Nile Virus (WNV). In a statement, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer referred to advice from State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Stout for equine owners to consult their veterinarians about vaccinating for the disease.

“While we do not wish to cause unnecessary alarm, we are concerned about the equine population’s vulnerability to this potentially deadly disease,” said Comer. “I am confident that Kentucky’s equine owners will act in the best interests of their horses and seek guidance on vaccinations.”

WNV was first discovered here in 2001. The following year, 513 equine WNV cases were reported. Since then, thanks to an aggressive campaign to inform horse owners of the need for vaccinations, only one case was reported in 2011.

Rusty Ford, the equine programs manager for the KDA, said with the winter weather conditions as they were, it would stand to reason an increased number of mosquitoes will be present. The disease is passed on by mosquitoes that draw it from infected birds.

“The weather patterns we’ve seen, lacking any sense of having winter and now coming into spring that looks more like summer – these factors combined together would certainly lead us to believe that we would have a higher infestation of mosquitoes this year,” he said. “And mosquitoes are the natural vector of transmission of WNV to horses.”

Ford also said during that time when the largest numbers of WNV equine cases were being reported, vaccinations became more readily available. Since then, the prevalence of the disease has diminished.

For those looking to skip the vaccine, WNV is an encephalitic disease that means swelling of the brain, resulting in neurological abnormalities. Ford said this could result in something as minor as a horse being off-stride to more serious symptoms such as difficulty in standing – and in some cases it can be fatal.

But minimizing mosquito habitats around livestock, such as standing, stagnant water sources, coupled with vaccinations, can and has helped keep the number of cases to a minimum. Ford does warn against becoming complacent, considering the lack of cases reported in the last several years.

“People may look at the historic perspective and say West Nile has not been a problem and we’re going to bypass vaccinating,” he said. “Commissioner Comer is concerned that if we don’t continue to immunize our equine populations, we could see a resurgence of the virus.”

Something else Ford pointed out was the disease is nondiscriminatory with breeds and disciplines of horses, so this is a concern for both those having a pony on their farm and the Thoroughbred owner.

The warmer weather may bring forth mosquitoes and the threat of the disease sooner than normal. Mid-summer, around July, is the time the virus usually shows up, with a peak in the number of cases seen around mid-September, said Ford.

“If you delay vaccinating too long, then the horse’s immune system would not have time to respond, and that’s why we are looking now to remind individuals this is the time to start consulting veterinarians about immunizing horses,” he explained.

“It’s not too soon. This is the optimum time because we could be looking at an earlier prevalence of the disease this year, so if you vaccinate now, the vaccine would have the opportunity to stimulate an immune response, and if the horse is challenged with the virus hopefully that response would be sufficient to fight it off.”

It should be noted humans can contract WNV from mosquitoes, as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 690 cases last year, with 43 deaths associated with the disease.

The agency recommends people use insect repellant when outdoors. Also, mosquitoes are most active either at dusk and dawn. The CDC recommends wearing long sleeves and pants or staying indoors during these times.