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A ProMED-mail post
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: 31 Jul 2009
Source: Moultrie Observer [edited]
Deadly horse disease found in Tift County
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A total of 2 confirmed and several suspected cases of Eastern equine
encephalitis, a deadly disease in horses that is transferred through
mosquito bites, have been found in the Tift area during the past week
[27-31 Jul 2009].
"We've had 2 calls that were really bad. One horse broke through his
fence and was running through a trailer park very disoriented,
convulsing, and had to be put down. It was really sad. The next day,
we got a call on a horse down on the opposite side of the county. We
thought he had colic but he ended up going through the same thing,"
said Regenia Wells, director of the Tifton-Tift County Animal Shelter.
Equine encephalitis is a virus endemic to the bird population but is
transferred to horses through the bite of mosquitoes. Horses are
considered a "dead-end" host and cannot pass the virus on to other
horses or humans.
Angie McDaniel, a veterinarian at Branch's Veterinary Clinic, said
clinical signs of equine encephalitis include severe depression
characterized by an unwillingness to eat or drink; ataxia, a weakness
in the hind limbs; confusion, circling or stumbling; and
head-pressing, a behavior that involves the animals walking up to
fences or trees and putting their heads against it.
"Eastern equine encephalitis, which is what we are seeing at this
time, is about 90 percent fatal. It's so dangerous because there is
no real treatment; that's why it's so important to have your animal
vaccinated," McDaniel said.
The vaccination can be administered in foals as young as 3 months old
as a 2-part shot.
"After their 1st vaccination, we recommend that horses are vaccinated
twice a year, or 3 times during an outbreak. It's a wonderful
preventative," McDaniel said.
Wells said that Tift County has stepped up its mosquito spraying
schedule and that she notifies county staff about areas of concern
regarding animals.
[Byline: Chivaun Perez]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland
[Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is a serious and usually fatal
disease in horses. It is easily prevented by vaccinations. Because of
the long period of warm weather in the southern portion of the US,
which allows mosquitoes to be active for a longer portion of time,
vaccination is recommended at least 2 times during the year. The
protection against EEE drops rapidly and must be given every 6 months
or every 4 months to provide complete protection to your horse. The
vaccination, including a veterinarian's services are small compared
to losing the investment of the horse. - Mod.TG]
[see also:
Eastern equine encephalitis, equine - USA (07): (NC), chicken 20090727.2646
Eastern equine encephalitis, equine - USA (06): (TX) 20090718.2558
Eastern equine enceph., equine, emus 2008 - Canada: (QC),
background 20090715.2528
Eastern equine encephalitis, equine - USA (05): (MO, VA) 20090714.2507
Eastern equine encephalitis, equine - USA (04): (FL, LA) 20090709.2454
Eastern equine encephalitis, equine - USA (03): (FL) 20090701.2378
Eastern equine encephalitis, equine - USA (02): (LA) 20090627.2332
Eastern equine encephalitis, equine - USA: (GA) 20090613.2197]
....................tg/ejp/mpp
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