Animal Disease Updates

West Nile Virus

West Nile Virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, initially appeared in Pennsylvania in 2000. To combat the spread of this virus, The Commonwealth has developed a comprehensive network. This way for more information about the Pennsylvania West Nile Virus Surveillance Program...

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of mule deer, elk, black-tail deer and whitetail deer. Efforts to detect CWD in the state began in 1998. For more information about CWD, see the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web Site or see the Related Links in this section of the DAS Web Site.

Lyme Disease

Reports of Lyme disease have increased dramatically, and the disease has become an important public health problem in some areas of the United States. For more information about Lyme Disease, see Penn State's Department of Entomology Web site on Lyme Disease, or see the Related Links in this section of the DAS Web Site.

Foot and Mouth Disease

Foot and Mouth Disease is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and deer. Other animals such as elephants, hedgehogs and rats are also susceptible to infection. Foot and Mouth Disease is not a human affliction. For more information on Hoof and Mouth Disease, see The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Web site.

Canine Influenza

Canine influenza is a highly contagious respiratory infection of dogs that is caused by a virus. The canine influenza virus is closely related to the virus that causes equine influenza and it is thought that the equine influenza virus mutated to produce the canine influenza virus. For more information on this disease, see the American Veterinary Medical Association Web Site.

Diseases Affecting Goats

For information on goat diseases, see the Goats section of the Dairy and Animal Science Web Site.