June 19, 2009

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has issued an importation order to help prevent the spread of vesicular stomatitis (VS) into Nebraska after a case of the disease was confirmed in Texas. The importation order went into effect Monday, following an announcement about the case late last week from the Texas Animal Health Commission.

"This importation order is important to protecting the health of Nebraska's horses, cattle, swine, and other animals," said State Veterinarian Dr. Dennis Hughes. "While animals generally can recover from VS, it is important for producers to be vigilant when importing animals into Nebraska."

In its early stages, vesicular stomatitis resembles foot-and-mouth disease, which is a highly contagious foreign animal disease of cloven-hoofed animals that was eradicated from the United States in 1929. VS is generally less severe, Hughes said, and is characterized by fever and the formation of blisters in the mouth, nostrils, hooves, and teats. Salivation is often the initial sign of the disease, but once the blisters break, the exposed raw tissue means animals often refuse to eat or drink. The animals generally recover in three to four days, Hughes said.

Vesicular stomatitis primarily affects horses, cattle, and swine, but occasionally sheep and goats.

The importation order is in addition to the requirements found in the current Animal Importation Regulations (Title 23 NAC, Chapter 2). The NDA Order states:

"All imports of equine (including horses, donkeys, mules, etc.), bovine (including cattle, bison, etc.), sheep, goats, swine, cervidae (including elk, deer, etc.), and camelids (including camels, llamas, alpaca, etc.) from any state which has had a confirmed VS positive animal, shall obtain a pre-entry permit prior to import into Nebraska, and this permit number shall be listed on the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI);" and

"The following statement shall be written on the CVI by the issuing veterinarian: The animals represented on this CVI have not originated from a premises or area under quarantine for VS or a premises on which VS has been diagnosed in the last 30 days. I have examined the animals and found no signs of VS;'" and

"Animals entering Nebraska for exhibition purposes shall have been examined by an accredited veterinarian within 48 hours of importation into Nebraska and so stated on the CVI."

Those with questions in regard to the importation order should contact NDA's Bureau of Animal Industry by calling (800) 572-2437.