Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis in Virginia
Jul 27th, 07
The first cases this year of Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile Virus have been identified in Virginia horses, according to state agriculture officials.
You can link to the article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch below:
From Woodside Equine Clinic Veterinarians: Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) is a mosquito borne disease that causes fever and severe neurological signs in horses, donkeys and mules. The mosquito becomes infected after biting an animal, such as birds, small mammals and even reptiles that are infected with EEE. The disease is seen most commonly in the summer and fall when the mosquito population is high. Horse to horse spread is possible, but does not occur often. Initial clinicals signs include mild to severe fever, which progesses quickly to depression, aggression and excitablitiy. These clinical signs can be hard to distingish from other viral infections in the horse. Later in the disease process, nervous signs usually develop, including head pressing, propulsive walking, blindness, circling, head tilt, and muscle fasciculations. The disease is usually fatal, with 75-90% percent of horses infected with EEE dying. Death is often preceded by recumbancy for 1-7 days. In order to diagnosis EEE, blood must be drawn for antibiody identificiation. Antibodies are commonly present within 24 hours after fever starts. Horses are treated symptomatically prior to obtaining test results. No effective treatment specific to EEE is known, therfore supportive treatment is persued as the best option for an infected horse. Complete recoveries from neurologic deficits have been reported, but they are rare. Prevention of EEE and other viral encephalitides is the most important way to decrease the risk of infection in your horse. Prevention includes reducing the concentration of mosquitos around horses and implementing a good vaccination program. Vaccination for EEE should occur in late spring and early fall, and is usually given in combination with WEE (another viral encephalitides) and tetanus. Humans can contract EEE from mosquito bites and very rarely from an affected horse. Young and old humans are most suspectible to the disease. Clinical signs in humans include headache, altered consciousness and seizures. Please contact your physican for more information for more information on EEE in humans.
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