It’s mosquito-carried disease season and horses need to be protected. Boyd Parr, DVM, South Carolina state veterinarian and director of Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health (LPH), recommends owners keep their horses' vaccinations for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), West Nile virus (WNV), and rabies current.

“South Carolina’s first 2013 case of EEE was confirmed in June,” said Parr. “Now is an especially good time to vaccinate or give a booster on previously vaccinated horses. Vaccination is very important in our coastal counties because the majority of last year’s cases were identified there.”

In 2013, South Carolina led the country with 49 confirmed cases of equine EEE, which is a serious mosquito-borne illness in horses that also can affect humans. It is preventable by vaccination in horses. Horse owners should consult with their veterinarians to be sure vaccinations against both EEE and WNV are up-to-date.

None of the horses infected during 2013 had been vaccinated effectively according to a review of vaccination history reported to Clemson LPH