According to Kriss Costa, who is the community resource specialist with the Santa Clara County Vector District, the West Nile Virus is something that is not to be taken lightly. Last year, there were 14,000 confirmed equine cases in the U.S., of which 5,000 horses died from the virus.

"It is one of the faster spreading vector-borne diseases we have seen," said Costa.

The West Nile Virus was first detected in New York in 1999 and spread throughout the United States. It is spread from infected mosquitoes biting birds, which are the initial hosts of the disease. Horses bitten by infected mosquitoes or birds are considered to be the dead-end hosts, which means that they cannot transmit the disease to other animals or humans.

In an effort to help keep the horses safe from contracting the virus, Costa strongly advised horse owners to get their pets vaccinated as soon as possible. She said that in California, the height of mosquito season begins in April, though it can be year-round because of the mild weather.

So far this year, there have been no reports of the virus showing up in California, but there have been reports of infected mosquitoes and birds in Florida.

"They are a couple months early," said Costa. "That means California may see it sooner than expected."

Jan Garrod, owner of Garrod Farms on Mt. Eden Road, said he is fully prepared, although he doesn't consider the virus to be a major threat to the horses on his farm.

"Mosquitoes are not a big problem in the area because there is no standing water around," he said. "The main concern should be in residents' backyards where buckets of water may be lying around."

Garrod said the horses on his farm are well protected. There are 15 to 20 mosquito fish in all 20 water troughs. In addition, the stables have a fly system in place, which sprays a pyrethrum-based organic chemical through the barn, killing flies and mosquitoes upon contact.

Garrod currently requires that all horses on his farm be vaccinated against rabies and tetanus. He said he does not require that the horses are vaccinated against the West Nile Virus, but will incorporate that into his policy if it becomes a nuisance.

Dr. Douglas Novick from Bay View Equine Clinic in San Jose anticipates that it will.

"This is a real and serious concern," he said. "I am certain that it will show up in California."

Novick said he's been urging his clients to get their horses vaccinated for the past six months. He said he administers anywhere from one to 50 vaccinations a day.

Novick also strongly advised owners to give their horses booster shots once a year, though many have taken extra precautionary measures and increased it to one every six months.

Lisa Huening, who has two horses kept on Garrod's farm, said she is fully prepared to guard against the virus. She said both her horses were vaccinated over a year ago and received their booster shots three weeks ago. In addition, she said she uses mosquito repellent, which lasts only four to five hours, when her horses are outside of the stable.

Jeanette Mitchell, who has three horses on the farm—all of which have been fully vaccinated—said she is not as worried about her horses catching the virus in California as she would be if they were still on the East Coast, where mosquitoes are prevalent.

Mike Sisul said he makes sure his 30-year-old horse gets all the protection it needs, since its old age makes it more susceptible to disease. He said his horse gets two booster shots each year and wears a fly mask and blanket whenever it goes out.

For more information on the West Nile Virus, check out the California Department of Food and Agriculture website at www.cdfa.ca.gov.