PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention says a horse in York County tested positive for the mosquito-borne viral disease Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
The horse, which had not been vaccinated against the disease, was euthanized.
It was the first detected case of EEE in a horse in Maine since 2013.
EEE is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.
It can infect humans if they are bitten by an infected mosquito.
Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah says the case of the York County horse shows the virus is present in Maine. Shah says people in Maine should take precautions to protect themselves from mosquito bites “while enjoying themselves this holiday weekend.”
The last human case of EEE in Maine was in 2005.
–Associated Press
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