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SANTA FE (AP) — A debilitating virus infecting livestock in New Mexico has prompted regulators to issue stringent new rules requiring health certificates for animals brought to public events like fairs and rodeos.
The rules announced by the New Mexico Livestock Board require organizers of any livestock event to bar animals without a health certificate issued in the past five days.
The directive aims to slow the spread of a virus called vesicular stomatitis. It causes painful lesions on horses, cattle and pigs and can affect sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas.
Health officials are also warning people who attend fairs to avoid pigs because of a new swine flu strain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 276 cases have been documented in 10 mostly Midwestern states as of Friday.
