Shawano County horse tests positive for eastern equine encephalitis

SHAWANO COUNTY, Wis. (WSAW) - A horse in Shawano County has tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis according to the Shawano-Menominee counties Health Department. It’s the first confirmed case of EEE in a horse in Shawano County this year, and the fifth case in horses in the state this year.

EEE virus is spread to humans, horses, and other animals through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes acquire EEE virus by feeding on infected birds. The virus is not spread person to person or directly between animals or between animals and humans. Infected horses cannot transmit the disease to other horses. The virus can only be transmitted to a horse via an insect vector.

The morbidity rate in horses infected with EEE is 75-95%. Horse owners can vaccinate their horses against the EEE virus to protect them from becoming ill.

No EEE cases in humans have been reported in Wisconsin so far this year. However, there were two human cases in 2020.