2024-08-17 09:18:07
Most animals infected with the West Nile virus do not develop any clinical symptoms. This is not the case with three horses near Berlin.
The West Nile virus has been detected in three horses in Brandenburg. The animal disease was already detected last week in two horses in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, a district spokesman said when asked. A third case was reported on Friday. The three animals came from a stable in the “Berlin commuter belt”.
According to the spokesman, the animals showed nervous symptoms. They twitched, limped and collapsed. It seemed as if they were losing control of their limbs, the spokesman explained. The majority of infected horses, like humans, did not develop any clinical symptoms.
The virus is a notifiable animal disease that can also be transmitted to humans. The West Nile virus primarily occurs in birds. It is mainly transmitted via mosquitoes. In birds, infection often remains asymptomatic: “Massive epidemics with fatal outcomes occur in a number of bird species,” the spokesman explained. Unlike horses, there is no vaccine for birds and humans.
According to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), it is assumed that the virus successfully overwinters in native mosquitoes in Germany. There are indications that the virus has become established in Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony. Since 2019, there have been isolated cases of illness in humans. According to the Robert Koch Institute, only a small proportion of those infected show symptoms.