Just days after news that a horse in Cayuga County died from a mosquito-borne disease, news comes that a horse in Wayne County tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis.
EEE is a rare disease caused by a virus transmitted by infected mosquitoes. EEEV belongs to a group of mosquito-borne viruses that can cause inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). EEE is a rare disease in humans and is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. It can affect humans, birds, horses, and other mammals. The disease is not transmitted directly from person to person, mammal to mammal, or mammal to human.
Mosquitoes are most active from dusk to dawn. The Wayne County Health Department urges residents to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites and protect themselves from possible contraction of the mosquito-borne disease until the first hard frost by:
• Use insect repellents correctly. Repellents containing DEET, picaridin or lemon eucalyptus oil are the most effective, but should be used with caution. Read the product label and use according to the directions on the package.
• Limit outdoor activities in areas where mosquitoes are most active and between dusk and dawn, as this is the time when mosquitoes bite most frequently.
• If you must be outside, wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, shoes and socks appropriate for the weather.
• Repair or replace all window and door screens to keep mosquitoes out.
• Reduce or eliminate all standing water.
• Emptying or disposing of buckets, cans, flower pots or similar water-containing containers.
• Cleaning gutters, removing leaves from yards and gardens, and cleaning vegetation and debris from pond edges.
• Turn wheelbarrows and paddling pools over when not in use.
• Cleaning and chlorinating swimming pools, outdoor saunas and whirlpools as well as emptying pool covers.
• Change the water in bird baths and horse troughs twice a week.
• Dispose of old tires properly.
What are the symptoms of EEE?
Most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito do not experience any symptoms. Severe cases of EEE infection in humans begin with sudden onset of headache, high fever, chills and vomiting. The illness can then progress to disorientation, seizures, encephalitis and coma.
There is no vaccine against EEE for humans. The best protection is to avoid mosquito bites.
Vaccines against EEE and West Nile virus are available for horses. Consult your veterinarian for more information.
For more information and/or questions about EEE, please contact the Wayne County Health Department at 315-946-5749, weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
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