horse vaccines
Studies have shown that vaccines can be effective in preventing both EEE and WNV. | Photo: The Horse Staff
North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is encouraging horse owners to have their animals vaccinated against the mosquito-borne diseases Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) and West Nile virus (WNV).

“April until November is prime mosquito-breeding season in North Carolina and when horses are at risk if not properly vaccinated,” Troxler said. “EEE is fatal 90% of the time in horses and WNV has a fatality rate of 30%.”

Proper vaccination can reduce horses’ risk of contracting both diseases, he added.

Last year, North Carolina saw its first case of EEE in a horse in July. Altogether, veterinarians confirmed seven cases of EEE and five cases of WNV in North Carolina horses in 2018, but the mild winter could cause that number to go up this year, State Veterinarian Doug Meckes, DVM, said

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