Agriculture officials in Alabama have issued a notice to horse owners to vaccinate their animals for West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis after a Georgia horse recently tested positive for one of the mosquito-borne diseases.
A horse from Georgia that arrived at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine for treatment tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis, known as EEE, officials said. On top of that, the Mobile County (Ala.) Health Department has reported that sentinel chickens used to detect mosquito-borne diseases in the community have tested positive for the disease.
“Unfortunately mosquito-borne viruses like EEE and West Nile virus are prevalent in Alabama’s warm and wet climate,” Alabama Agriculture and Industries Commission John McMillan said in a warning statement to horse owners.
“I want to encourage horse owners to take precautionary measures and vaccinate their horses,” McMillan said.
Eastern equine encephalitis is the more dangerous of the two mosquito-borne diseases, officials said. The mortality rate for West Nile in horses is about 30 percent, while the mortality rate for EEE is almost 90 percent. Both can make humans sick but are rarely fatal.