EEE Makes a Comeback
On October 31st, 2007 a twelve year old Appaloosa gelding succumbed to the neurologic disease, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in Fluvanna County, Virginia. The horse was ataxic and depressed, very unsteady and eventually recumbent. He was euthanized for humane reasons the next day. The horse had never been vaccinated for EEE. The virus is carried in mosquitoes and causes encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). It is a deadly cousin of the milder West Nile Virus. Vaccination will prevent both these diseases. This is an unusually late appearance of this disease, however it highlights the fact that mosquitoes continue to thrive in Virginia late into the fall, even after a so called “hard freeze”. It also highlights the case for revaccination in the late summer or early fall as well as in the spring. In 2008 more cases of EEE are springing up all over the South. This disease is easily prevented with a vaccination and is a routine part of the bi-annual vaccination program recommended by Dr. Shane.