GRANT COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has confirmed the state’s first case of West Nile Virus in a horse this year.

Officials say the horse, an unvaccinated three-year-old Quarter Horse stallion from Grant County, tested positive for the virus. In 2024, nine cases of West Nile Virus were reported in Wisconsin horses.

West Nile Virus can cause inflammation of the brain in both horses and humans. In horses, symptoms may include fever, loss of coordination, hind-end weakness, depression, loss of appetite, muscle tremors, teeth grinding, difficulty swallowing, head pressing, excessive sweating, or an inability to rise. The disease is fatal in 30 to 40 percent of symptomatic horses.

The virus is spread to both horses and people thr

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