2020 Status: On June 16, 2020, the Kansas Department of Agriculture confirmed a finding of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in horses in Butler County, Kansas. Several other states also confirmed cases of VSV in 2020, including Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
VSV was confirmed on 101 premises in 26 Kansas counties: Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Cherokee, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Franklin, Greenwood, Harvey, Johnson, Labette, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Miami, Montgomery, Morris, Neosho, Riley, Sedgwick, Sumner, Wilson, and Woodson. Details can be found in the situation report at the bottom of this page.
KDA actively responded to more than 270 premises with animals showing clinical signs consistent with VSV. All infected premises were placed on quarantine for a minimum of 14 days from the date of the last diagnosis.
What is VSV? VSV is a viral disease that primarily affects horses, also cattle and occasionally swine, sheep, goats, llamas, and alpacas. Although humans can also become infected with the disease when handling affected animals, resulting in flu-like symptoms,
this is a rare event. Vesicular stomatitis is known to be an endemic disease in the warmer regions of North, Central, and South America, and outbreaks of the disease in other temperate geographic parts of the hemisphere occur sporadically. The Southwestern and Western United States have experienced a number of vesicular stomatitis outbreaks, including a significant outbreak in 2015. Outbreaks usually occur during the warmer months, often along waterways. VSV is a state reportable disease. VSV was last isolated in the U.S. during the 2019 VSV outbreak, when eight states including Kansas reported confirmed VSV cases.
Weekly situation reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service can be accessed by clicking here.
News Release with VSV Update dated July 31, 2020
News Release with VSV Update dated July 23, 2020
News Release with Update on VSV Status in Kansas dated July 15, 2020
News Release Updating Status of Continued Spread of VSV in Kansas dated June 30, 2020
News Release Confirming Vesicular Stomatitis in Kansas dated June 17, 2020
VSV: Symptoms & Prevention in Horses
VSV: Symptoms & Prevention in Cattle
July 2020
Webinar resources (conducted in partnership with Kansas Horse Council):
June 2020
Webinar resources (conducted in partnership with K-State Research and Extension - Butler County):