The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development recently received confirmation that two more horses were diagnosed with eastern equine encephalitis. These horses bring the total number of reported cases of EEE in Michigan for 2017 to six. 

Facts about EEE:
• Transmission of EEE is by infected mosquitoes.
• Birds can serve as a host after having been bitten by an infected mosquito.  
• The virus spreads through the body and attacks the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
• All horses are at risk. However, younger horses (6 months to 2 years of age) are more vulnerable.
• The virus is not spread by direct contact between horses.
• Death of horses infected with EEE is relatively high (80% or more of cases). 

How to prevent EEE
Michigan State University Extension suggests that prevention remains the best practice to follow. The following is a list of considerations:
• Vaccinate your horses for EEE. This is ultimately the most important step to prevention. Vaccination typically provides protection for six to nine months. Your veterinarian will be your best resource for determining vaccination schedules for your respective area.
• Keep horses indoors around dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
• Remove sources of standing water in your pasture and around the barn.
• Use fly masks, fly sheets and fly leggings when horses are on pasture.
• Spray horses with insect repellent.
• Utilize fans or open windows to create a breeze in the barn for stalled animals . 

Signs of EEE 
Symptoms of  eastern equine encephalitis are:
• high fever (temperature higher than 103 degrees F)
• depression and lack of appetite
•  pressing the head into corners
•  walking around aimlessly, often in circles
•  blindness
•  uncoordinated gait, staggering
•  recumbency, unable to get up
• seizures
• death  

If a horse is having any of these symptoms or issues, contact a veterinarian immediately. If a veterinarian suspects EEE or West Nile virus, it should be reported to MDARD at 800-292-3939 (daytime) or 517-373-0440 (after-hour emergencies).

For more information on equine diseases, visit MDARD’s website. Updates on EEE and WNV cases in Michigan will be posted to the Equine Disease Communication Center’s Outbreak Alerts. 

For more information on how EEE may impact human health, visit the Centers for Disease Control. 

Source: MSUE