The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) announced Oct. 2 that it had received confirmation of the third case of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in a Virginia horse this year.

The horse, a 19-week-old Racking Horse filly, was from Chesapeake. Because of her young age, the filly had not been vaccinated yet. The horse was euthanized Sept. 24 due to the severity of the illness.

All three cases of EEE this year have been in horses from Chesapeake. In mosquito-prone areas like Virginia, most veterinarians recommend a six-month vaccination schedule to provide full protection from EEE, West Nile virus (WNV), and other mosquito-borne illnesses.

Last year Virginia had one reported case of equine EEE (in a horse from Suffolk) and one equine WNV case