ONEIDA COUNTY -- A horse in Oneida County has contracted Eastern Equine Encephalitis. It's the first confirmed case of EEE in an animal this year.
According to the State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the 9 year old mare had lived at its current home for several years and had no recent travel history. Officials say the horse was unvaccinated. There is another horse on the property, but it hasn't been showing signs of the virus.
Typical symptoms of EEE include staggering, circling, depression, loss of appetite and sometimes fever and blindness. There is no cure for this disease, which has high mortality rates in horses.
Humans cannot become sick by handling an infected horse, nor can a horse acquire the virus from another infected horse; however, the presence of an infected horse in the area indicates mosquitoes carrying EEE are present and pose a threat to both humans and horses.
Learn more about EEE.
