The horse, whose status was not reported, resided in Hillsborough County. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Officials from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NHDHHS) have confirmed the state’s second case of Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) for 2019. The horse, whose status was not reported, resided in Hillsborough County.

New Hampshire’s first equine case of EEE was identified in Northwood, in Rockingham County, on Aug. 28.

EEE 101

Eastern equine encephalomyelitis is caused by the Eastern equine encephalitis virus, for which wild birds are a natural reservoir. Mosquitoes that feed on EEE-infected birds can transmit the virus to humans, horses, and other birds. Horses do not develop high enough levels of these viruses in their blood to be contagious to other animals or humans. Because of the high mortality rate in horses and humans, EEE is regarded as one of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases in the United States