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Attention: Horse Owners

As of press time, the Georgia Department of Agriculture has received 20 laboratory-confirmed reports of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in horses in Georgia.  EEE is endemic in south Georgia and the reported cases are distributed by county as follows Appling (1), Atkinson (2), Brantley (2), Bryan (1), Charlton (1), Coffee (1), Cook (1), Grady (1), Long (2), Lowndes (2), Wayne (5), and Wilkinson (1). 

EEE is under-reported in Georgia, as some animals die or are euthanized without testing. The viral disease is spread by mosquitoes and the high number of reported cases this year is presumably due to a wet spring creating a higher than normal mosquito population in affected areas.  EEE primarily affects young, unvaccinated or under vaccinated horses.  So far, all reported Georgia cases have died or were euthanized.

Horse owners are reminded to obtain booster vaccinations for viral encephalitis--EEE, Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV) every six months. Annual vaccination is not adequate to prevent EEE in susceptible animals in endemic areas.