Seventeen States Have Reported 140 Cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)
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Source of this information: http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/
<![endif]-->Seventeen states have reported 140
cases of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) so far this season. That's based on
the latest tally from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) and some individual state reports.</p>
<p>Most cases on the list provided by APHIS’ National Animal Health Surveillance
System last updated on Aug. 11, were in southern states, led by Florida, with
48 cases. <br />
<br />
Georgia had 29 cases, Mississippi 21, North Carolina eight, Alabama six, Texas
three and South Carolina two. Virginia had six cases, Maine two and Minnesota
one. <br />
<br />
EEE, transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, is most active in
August and September. In 2008, 185 EEE cases in horses were reported, with
Florida in the lead with 89 cases. <br />
<br />
Horses are considered a “dead-end” host for the virus, in that the amount of
the virus in their bloodstream usually is insufficient to infect mosquitoes.
Humans can be infected directly through mosquito bites. <br />
<br />
Veterinarians urge owners to have horses inoculated against EEE and other
mosquito-borne infections, including West Nile virus (WNV). http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/<br />
<em>-- <a href="http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/" target="_blank">veterinarynews.dvm360.com</a></em></p>
