State Health Officials Say Horse Had Rabies

AUSTIN (AP) – State health officials say people who attended horse shows in Belton and Lufkin last month may have been exposed to a horse that tested positive for rabies. About 150 people from Texas, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana and Mississippi attended the American Southwest Texas Cutting Horse Association show in Belton March 19-21 and the Lufkin Cutting Horse Association show March 25-27. The horse was a 7-year-old bay quarter horse gelding with a faint star on its forehead. The horse died April 4 and tested positive for rabies April 6. People can be infected if they are bitten or if the infected animal’s saliva gets in an open wound or cut or in the eyes, nose or mouth. A series of post-exposure shots, if given in time, can prevent rabies from developing.