NORFOLK TOWN, N.Y. (WWNY) – New York State has announced a high number of cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in St. Lawrence County posing an immediate threat to public health.
Elizabeth Morse has cared for Smoocheese for years, but before Smoocheese was born, Morse had a healthy horse named Ben, but she noticed a sudden change.
“He was having trouble eating hay. It was like his brain was swollen,” Morse said.
She then learned her horse had eastern equine encephalitis, a mosquito-borne virus that causes swelling of brain tissue and can be fatal. Though rare, the disease is not new to the North Country. What is new, however, is its high incidence.
“Last year, five horses tested positive between July and October. This year, five horses tested positive between late July and mid-August,” St. Lawrence County Public Health Director Erin Streiff said.
The cases have been confirmed in northern St. Lawrence County, specifically in Brasher, Norfolk, Norwood, Potsdam and Huberton.
The concern for health officials is that the more widely the virus circulates, the greater the chance that people will come into contact with it.
“You're more likely to die from this disease. There's no cure for this disease,” Streiff said.
Since 1971, there have been 11 cases of EEE in New York State; eight of those cases have resulted in death, and the rest never fully recovered.
Streiff said the virus can only be transmitted by mosquito bites, and early symptoms in humans include headache, fever and mental illness.
Health officials want more data on where the infected mosquitoes come from before spraying the area with the drug.
There are preventative measures you can take, such as using approved insect repellents, avoiding being outside at times when mosquitoes are most prevalent, and wearing long sleeves. There is no vaccine for humans, but there is one for horses.
“My horses are now vaccinated,” Morse said.
Health officials say it takes horses several weeks to develop immunity to the virus.
Now Smooches can run freely without fear of EEE.
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