OSWEGO (AP) -- New York agricultural officials say a horse in Central New York contracted the first confirmed case statewide this year of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, a rare viral disease that can also strike humans.
The two-year old gelding in Oswego County was euthanized. Officials said Friday there have been no reported human cases of the mosquito-spread disease this year.
Humans cannot become infected by a horse, but an infected horse indicates that mosquitoes carrying the disease are present.
State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker urges horse owners to consider vaccinating them for Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
The Centers for Disease Control says an average of five human cases occur each year in the United States.
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