WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
A horse in Livingston County was recently diagnosed with Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
Additionally, EEE-positive mosquitos have been identified in Barry County, according to the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency.
Officials said the cases highlight the need for both horse owners and Michigan residents in general to take safeguards against the disease, which is transmitted by mosquitoes to animals and people.
It is considered a dangerous mosquito-borne disease in the U.S., with a 90-percent fatality rate among horses that become ill and a 33-percent fatality rate among humans who become ill. Last year, Michigan experienced 41 cases of EEE in animals and a record of four cases in humans.
People can be infected with EEE from the bite of a mosquito carrying the virus. The disease is not spread by horse-to-horse or horse-to-human contact. In humans, signs of EEE include sudden onset of fever, chills, and body and joint aches.
