Eastern equine encephalitis in Georgia
Two horses from different farms in the Savannah, Georgia area have been diagnosed with Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). EEE is severe neurological disease that can strike quickly and seriously, and is fatal in up to 90% of cases. There is no specific treatment, and affected often deteriorate rapidly and dramatically.This viral disease is transmitted from birds to horses by the bites of infected mosquitoes, and it's a very important disease in some regions. Being mosquito-borne, it is a seasonal disease. The risk of EEE is also heavily influence by geography, largely due to the distrubution of mosquito species that effectively transmit the virus. Some areas have recurrent (and often major) problems with EEE, some (like Ontario) have few to no cases but can experiece small clusters and others never experience the disease.
Identification of EEE is important for a few reasons. Obviously, it's relevant for horse health. It indicates that EEE virus is in the area and mosquitoes capable of transmitting it between birds and horses are also present. Horse owners should be aware of the EEE history in their area as part of deciding whether to vaccinate against this deadly disease. Identification of cases in the area should be a reminder to look at farm measures to reduce mosquiotes and decrease mosquito bites. (More information on that is available in an earlier post about West Nile virus). Waiting until the first cases are diagnosed isn't a good plan because there is always a delay from vaccination until peak immunity, and your horse could be infected before the vaccine is given or takes effect. EEE vaccination is best performed about 1 month prior to the at-risk season, with a booster 6 months later if risk of exposure is still present.
The second aspect is with respect to human health. EEE can also affect people, where it also causes very serious (and often fatal) disease. People cannot acquire EEE from horses. They are infected the same from way; a bite from an infected mosquito. A vaccine is not available for people so mosquito avoidance is critical.
