EAST TEXAS — Although a livestock owner’s farm or ranch may lie outside the 20-mile diameter, vesicular stomatitis quarantine area, they should stay at home and restrict all animal movement and think twice about attending events where livestock are congregated, according to a veterinarian with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
“They may be outside the quarantine today but inside the quarantine tomorrow or next week,” said Dr. Floron “Buddy” Faries, Extension program leader for veterinary medicine, College Station.
The Texas Animal Heath Commission (TAHC) established a 20- mile diameter quarantine area on Oct. 3. The center of the quarantine circle is a farm in northern Rusk County, 5 miles west of the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 259 and U.S. Hwy. 79. The quarantine circle includes parts of Rusk, Smith and Cherokee counties.
Though the law only directly restricts movement of livestock out of the quarantine area, livestock owners should be aware it’s highly likely more cases of vesicular stomatitis will develop and newer quarantine circles will be established, due to the facts surrounding the one reported case, Faries said.
The one case so far verified, an infected colt, was not diagnosed as vesicular stomatitis for at least a week after it became contagious. During that week it was moved and came in close proximity with a number of other animals. The TAHC has put the exposed animals under observation, and no new cases have yet been reported.
Because of the movement of the colt and the time span before it was positively diagnosed, there is a strong possibility it’s only a matter of time before new cases pop up, Faries said.
“I consider it highly likely new cases will show up both inside and outside the current quarantine circle,” Faries said.
What can East Texas livestock owners do to minimize the chances that their animals become infected?
Faries advises that they first restrict all animal movement until the quarantine is lifted. This means not only buying replacement heifers from regional farms, but also the use of bulls, and attending places where a large number of animals are congregated, such as horse shows, rodeos, trail rides, and county fairs.
“The risk of an animal contracting the disease is high if it is exposed to infected animals or biting insects such as flies, mosquitoes and gnats,” Faries said.
Those who feel they must attend an animal livestock event should check first that the event’s coordinators require a certificate of veterinary inspection.
A certificate of veterinary inspection, commonly know as simply a “health certificate,” is not required by state law unless animals are brought in from out-of-state. Usually costing $5 or less per animal, it entails an inspection by a licensed veterinarian for any symptoms of disease.
By state law, health certificates for horses are good for 45 days, for other livestock, 30 days. Faries said coordinators of livestock events should insist that the certificates be more current, having been done no more than a week prior to the event. Livestock owners may also want to restrict human movement onto their farms and ranches, Faries said.
Although it’s rare for people to contract the disease, they can, under certain conditions, act as carriers. The virus is relatively short lived once outside the infected animal. But it can survive for minutes, or under ideal conditions, perhaps for as long as an hour, on the clothes and skin of someone who has been in close contact with infected livestock, Faries said.
“If Joe from down the road shows up for a visit, you should ask up front where’s he been. If he’s been in close contact with livestock, even though the animals were outside any quarantine circle, you should ask him to stay out front,” Faries said.
Dairy operators should follow this “up-front” strategy, too, Faries said. Milk haulers, who are often treated like neighbors, should be interviewed about their whereabouts before inviting them in.
Dairy herds are particularly susceptible to widespread infection because, unlike beef cows, they are in close contact with each other during milking and in the holding lots. Because she is rarely moved off farm, an individual dairy cow is less likely to become infected than horses or show animals. But once one cow becomes infected, the disease will be more likely to spread rapidly throughout the dairy herd.
Dairy operators should apply the same rules of restricted animal movement as horse owners and beef-cattle operators. Avoid bringing new animals onto the farm even though doing so may mean short-term economic loss. Prevent dairy herds from coming in close proximity to neighboring livestock. Fences offer no barrier to the virus as animals can touch muzzles across barbed wire or eat grass near or under the fence that has been recently contaminated by a neighbor’s cattle.
And remember to take detours around quarantine areas when hauling livestock and not through them.
“Technically, any animal entering a quarantine area, even for a short time, cannot leave,” Faries said.
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