By March 1, the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) season in Florida was already underway, and Florida veterinarians remind horse owners to make sure their horses are vaccinated against the disease, which can have a mortality rate of up to 90%.
 
Six of Florida’s 67 counties had reported EEE this year. Two horses were infected—one Duval County horse that became ill on Jan. 30, and one Marion County horse on Feb. 1.
 
Year-end information from Mike Short, DVM, equine program manager for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDOACS), showed the earliest reports of EEE cases in 2005 were in March in Union and Volusia Counties. A total of 150 EEE cases were reported in Florida last year, closely rivaling its top years, 1982 (203 cases) and 2003 (207 cases).

According to FDOACS, “signs in infected horses can be varied, but usually begin with fever, depression, and listlessness, which then progress to more serious neurologic signs such as incoordination, stumbling, circling, head pressing, coma, and usually death.”