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Troxler encourages horse owners to vaccinate against EEE

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RALEIGH – Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is encouraging North Carolina horse owners to have their animals vaccinated against Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis.

“Triple E is a mosquito-borne disease that causes inflammation or swelling of the brain and spinal cord in equine and is usually fatal,” Troxler said. “The disease is preventable by vaccination.”

There were nine recorded cases of EEE in horses in North Carolina in 2016, but the mild winter could cause that number to go up this year, State Veterinarian Doug Meckes said.

Symptoms of EEE include impaired vision, aimless wandering, head pressing, circling, inability to swallow, irregular staggering gait, paralysis, convulsions and death. Once a horse has been bitten by an infected mosquito, it may take three to 10 days for symptoms to appear.

“If your horses or other equine animals exhibit any symptoms of EEE, contact your veterinarian immediately,” Meckes said.

Meckes recommends that equine owners talk to their veterinarians about an effective vaccination protocol to protect horses from EEE and another mosquito-borne disease, West Nile virus. The combo vaccination initially requires two shots, 30 days apart, for horses, mules and donkeys that have no prior vaccination history. Meckes recommends a booster shot every six months.

Mosquitoes can breed in any puddle that lasts for more than four days, so removing any source of standing water can reduce the chance of exposing animals to WNV or EEE. Keeping horses in stalls at night, using insect screens and fans and turning off lights after dusk can also help reduce exposure to mosquitoes. Insect repellants can be effective if used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

People, horses and birds can become infected from a bite by a mosquito carrying the diseases, but there is no evidence that horses can transmit the viruses to other horses, birds or people through direct contact.

NC Cooperative Extension to rebrand

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Raleigh, N.C. – NC State Extension and The Cooperative Extension Program at N.C. A&T State University have launched a rebranding effort for their strategic partnership known as N.C. Cooperative Extension. Effective immediately, a new logo is being rolled out in local Extension centers across the state, as NC State and N.C. A&T adopt a new marketing strategy to grow awareness and engagement for N.C. Cooperative Extension.

N.C. Cooperative Extension comprises the respective land-grant universities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), and 101 local governments statewide.

Growing awareness, creating prosperity
Dr. Rich Bonanno, associate dean and director of NC State Extension, said, “feedback during the planning phase made clear that those who know Extension love Extension, but many North Carolinians don’t know us or recognize the educational services being offered by these two premier universities in their own communities.”

Extension professionals in all 100 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians translate research-based information and technology from NC State and N.C. A&T into everyday applications, providing educational programs specializing in agriculture, food and nutrition, 4-H youth development, community development and the environment.

“It’s critical to our mission and the growth of our state that we bolster efforts to provide North Carolinians with research-based tools from our universities, which starts by introducing ourselves with a fresh look,” added Bonanno.

Through the collective efforts of the individual partners, who form a vast network dating back to 1914, N.C. Cooperative Extension bridges the state’s two land-grant campuses with communities statewide.

Redesigned logo and simplified identity

NC State and N.C. A&T have introduced a new logo for their N.C. Cooperative Extension partnership, highlighting the involvement of each university. It’s a simple but key step according to Sheri Schwab, director of county operations with NC State Extension.

“It’s important that we emphasize the presence of the universities in communities across the state, while maintaining a unique identity for the Cooperative Extension partnership. People recognize the value behind NC State and N.C. A&T; we want them to know they have access to the latest research discoveries without being on campus.”

Visit the N.C. Cooperative Extension site to find your local Extension center: www.ces.ncsu.edu/local-county-center.
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Stay Alert: Five North Carolina stores pay fines for price-scanning errors

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RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division has collected fines from stores in Brunswick, Durham, Forsyth and Mecklenburg counties because of excessive price-scanner errors.

“We want consumers to be confident that the price on the shelf matches the price that’s scanned at the register,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Stores have a responsibility to make sure their pricing is accurate, and most stores pass inspection. Ones that don’t are fined until they come into compliance. Consumers who would like to file a complaint about a store can call the Standards Division at 919-707-3225.”

The department conducts periodic, unannounced inspections of a business’ price-scanner system to check for accuracy between the prices advertised and the prices that ring up at the register. If a store has more than a 2-percent error rate on overcharges, inspectors discuss the findings with the store manager and conduct a more intensive follow-up inspection at a later date. Undercharges are also reported, but do not count against a store.

Penalties are assessed if a store fails a follow-up inspection. In addition to the penalties paid, the store will be subject to re-inspection every 60 days from the last inspection until it meets the 2-percent-or-less error rate. Additional penalties may be assessed if the store fails a re-inspection. Following are stores that paid civil penalties in the first quarter of 2017:

  • (Brunswick County) Walgreens #2530 at 5098 Southport Supply Road, Southport, paid $660 in penalties. An initial inspection in November found an error rate of 10 percent, based on five overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in January found an error rate of 3.33 percent, based on 10 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store passed inspection in March.
  • (Durham) Office Depot #2687 at 5600 South Miami Blvd., Durham, paid a total of $3,320 in penalties. An initial inspection in October found an error rate of 16 percent, based on eight overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in November found at error rate of 7.33 percent, based on 22 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,710 in penalties. A third inspection in January found an error rate of 5.33 percent, based on 16 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,610 in penalties. The store was inspected in March and had an error rate of 3 percent, based on nine overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store has been assessed a $1,915 penalty and will be re-inspected.
  • (Forsyth) Staples #1135 at 430 Hanes Mill Road, Winston-Salem, paid a total of $4,280 in penalties. An initial inspection in September found an error rate of 20 percent, based on 10 overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in November found an error rate of 7.67 percent, based on 23 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $2,760 in penalties. A third inspection in February found an error rate of 3 percent, based on nine overcharges on a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,520 in penalties. The store will be re-inspected.
  • (Mecklenburg) CVS #3896 at 9308 Kendall Drive, Charlotte, paid a total of $2,810 in penalties. An initial inspection in October found an error rate of 10 percent, based on five overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in November found an error rate of 7 percent, based on 21 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,605 in penalties. A third inspection in January found an error rate of 2.67 percent based on eight overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,205 in penalties. The store passed inspection in March.
  • (Mecklenburg) CVS #6518 at 11430 North Tryon St., Charlotte paid $1,425 in penalties. An initial inspection in December found an error rate of 8 percent, based on four overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in January found an error rate of 7.33 percent, based on 22 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store passed inspection in March.