HARTFORD, Conn. — The Connecticut Department of Agriculture announced today a second equine case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) for 2019.
A fifteen-year-old female Mustang horse located in Columbia, CT, was observed on August 11, 2019 by stable attendants as having difficulty breathing, acting distressed and unable to stand in an open field. The attending veterinarian‘s examination found the Mustang depressed with a fever, needing assistance to stand and when walking, circling and staggering aimlessly. The horse was not current on its vaccinations for rabies, EEE, or West Nile Virus. The Mustang was humanely euthanized. Diagnostic samples collected at the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) at the University of Connecticut in Storrs and submitted to the United States Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratories were confirmed positive for EEE virus.
Horse owners are reminded to review vaccination records with their veterinarians to ensure that EEE and WNV vaccinations are current and their horses are protected during the mosquito season.
Horses are the domestic animals most susceptible to infection with EEE and WNV viruses. Neurological diseases of domestic animals, such as EEE and WNV, are reportable to the State Veterinarian.
For more information about equine diseases and about the national equine disease surveillance programs, see the USDA APHIS website at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-health/equine-health
–Connecticut Department of Agriculture
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