Are WNV vaccines safe for use in pregnant mares?
The following is an excerpt from APHIS veterinary service US government webpage. The page can also be linked to below. “Some recent stories have suggested that the Fort Dodge Animal Health West Nile Virus Vaccine approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) may cause pregnant mares to abort or give birth to deformed foals. The misleading information in those articles has sparked many anxious phone calls from horse owners, veterinarians, and others involved with horses. Unfortunately, as a result, USDA is concerned that horse owners may not use an effective preventive measure against West Nile virus available to them, that of vaccinating their horses. Horse owners should be assured that the vaccine is safe, and it should be used as protection against West Nile virus. Millions of doses of the vaccine have been used since USDA’s Center for Veterinary Biologics approved its use in 2001.” “The Center for Veterinary Biologics, within USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
