Alabama Agriculture and Industries Commissioner John McMillan has announced that two positive tests for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) have been reported by the department’s diagnostic laboratory located in Auburn. One sample was collected from a horse in Dallas County and the other sample was collected from a horse located in Mississippi.

“This is the time of year that we are extremely vulnerable to the spread of mosquito-borne viruses and we need to protect our livestock and ourselves,” said McMillan. “I want to encourage horse owners to vaccinate their horses for both EEE and West Nile virus (WNV) as soon as possible.”

A viral disease, EEE affects the central nervous system and is transmitted to horses by infected mosquitoes. Clinical signs of EEE include moderate to high fever, depression, lack of appetite, cranial nerve deficits (facial paralysis, tongue weakness, difficulty swallowing), behavioral changes (aggression, self-mutilation, or drowsiness), gait abnormalities, or severe central nervous system signs, such as head-pressing, circling, blindness, and seizures.

The course of EEE can be swift, with death occurring two to three days after onset of clinical signs despite intensive care; fatality rates reach 75-80% among horses. Horses that survive might have long-lasting impairments and neurologic problems