Horse Vaccination Research Paper

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? Every horse owner will struggle with vaccinations to some degree. There are so many vaccinations available to horse owners. Drug companies and some veterinarians may push these vaccinations for financial gain, personal belief, or some other reason. However, no matter the reason, it is the responsibility of the horse owner to decide which vaccinations their horse will be receiving; hopefully, with the advice of a trusted veterinarian. But where can a horse owner start? The majority of veterinarians will suggest that horses receive at least the core vaccinations. The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has defined core vaccinations. A core vaccination can be described as a vaccination that protects a horse from diseases that are endemic to a region, has a potential public health significance, required by law, is highly infectious, and those that pose a high risk of contracting a sever disease. Furthermore, these vaccinations have proven that they are safe. Therefore, one could say that …show more content…
Currently only four vaccines are labeled as ‘core’. Eastern/Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE/WEE), Rabies, Tetanus, and West Nile Virus. Eastern and Western Encephalomyelitis is transmitted by mosquitos to horses from wild birds or rodents, which are the reservoirs for the disease. Any horse that is traveling in North America should get this vaccine. It is readily available, and exposure to EEE and WEE can never be fully eliminated. In general the horse will only have to receive a yearly booster of this vaccine. To scare you a little bit there is a high mortality rate. WEE has a mortality rate of 50%, and EEE has a 90% mortality rate. Once the disease is contracted there is very little that a horse owner can do. Mostly it consists of just managing secondary infections that can occur. What is even scarier is that although rare, humans can contract this nasty