A horse in Oneida county has tested positively for Eastern Equine Encephalities(EEE) and had to be humanely euthanized.
Triple "E" as it's known, is a mosquito-transmitted virus along the line of West Nile Virus. A state lab confirmed the diagnosis. It is transmitted to humans, horses, birds and other animals through mosquito bites.
Oneida County Community Health Specialist Kyla Waksmonski says it can make humans sick, but is deadly for horses...
"....With horses, it's fatal. With humans, about one-third of people who become ill with EEE die and then those people who survive have mild to severe brain damage...."
But the disease has claimed only three human lives in Wisconsin between 1964 and 2017.
The disease typically has a fast onset with fever, headache, chills and vomiting. Horses lose their appetite and spirit, with drooping eyelids and lower lip, blindness, paralysis and death.
Horse owners can vaccinate their horses to prevent the disease.
Waksmonski says while the mosquito season is nearing an end, it still is smart to take precautions to eliminate mosquito breeding sites on your property.