Is there any way to prevent it yet? I know there is for horses, why not dogs?

The occurrence of the disease in dogs and cats is extremely rare and is not considered life threatening in dogs and cats. Should a dog or cat become infected, full recovery can be expected. West Nile cannot be spread from animal to animal or person-to-person or from animal to person. Only an infected mosquito can transmit the disease.

Mosquitoes feed primarily on birds particularly crows, ravens, magpies, and jays. The next choice is horses, which explains the number of cases of infected horses reported yearly. Horses and birds both are susceptible to the disease, and the fatality rate is 40% in horses.

However, mosquitoes that are infected with heartworms are life threatening to dogs and cats and preventive measures should be taken to guard your pet from heartworms.

i could be wrong here, but isnt west nile a media frenzy?
i though you could only get seriously sick if you already had another medical problem.
i know it can make you feel sick, but is it really life threatening if youre a healthy person?
same with animals?

As to the media, they usually make a mountain out of a molehill if the story will keep the ratings up.


For more information on West Nile click on the link below, and then on the left hand side, hover the curser on search. On the menu bar; click on “site map”. Once there, click on “West Nile Virus” The information given on this page and the one titled “Frequently Asked Questions” is very through and answers many questions about this virus.


http://www.nbii.gov/index.html