Animals intended for exportation must also be protected from insect vectors during the 21-day period and during transport to Canada. Officials haven't been able to determine how these animals became exposed to the virus. Currently, the majority of premises found positive for vesicular stomatitis are located in New Mexico. About 16 positive premises are located on the western slope of Colorado. Texas also has one positive premises, which is believed to have been caused by a horse shipped from New Mexico.
Vesicular stomatitis is a viral disease that can affect horses, swine, cattle, and other ruminants.
It causes affected livestock to develop blisters in the mouth and on the dental pad, hooves, and teats. These blisters swell and break, leaving raw tissue that causes infected animals to become lame and to refuse food and water. The last occurrence of vesicular stomatitis in the southwestern United States was in 1985.