Florida horse owners are being urged by Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson to get their animals vaccinated following an upsurge in the number of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) cases.

According to the USDA, in 2009 Florida led the country in number of confirmed EEE cases with a total of 75, with Volusia County leading with way with 10 cases. So far this year there have been 16 confirmed cases of EEE in horses in Florida. Seven of the cases were reported on June 23 from counties scattered throughout the state. It has been reported that horses in Collier and Jackson counties (two total) have been euthanized due to the disease.

"Most of the cases have been in the central and north central part of the state, which is normal," Bronson said. "But we are also seeing increased EEE and West Nile virus (WNV) activity in sentinel chickens in the southern part of the state, including Martin County, which has not had EEE detected in 30 years. I want to remind horse owners of the importance of getting their animals vaccinated."

Why the stress on the chickens? "Chickens are our surveyors. They're our indicators that, 'Hey, it's active. It's here, and mosquitoes are carrying this,'" Darrell Harvey, DVM, with Van Roekel & Associates, located in Alva, Fla., told the Naples Daily News