Counting Medals? Count Mosquitoes, too!

A lot of people are counting medals this week. Will Germany dominate? Are you rooting for Isabel or Anky? Was Australia robbed of the Eventing Gold it deserved?

Take a minute today to look up from the Olympics your television or your monitor and check with your local or state health department. What are the West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) risks in your area?

Today we have the first announcement of EEE in the state of Wisconsin, and the fifth case of EEE in Marion County, the area around uber-horsey Ocala, Florida. Seventy-two horses have been diagnosed with EEE in Florida so far this year.

Two horses in Orange County, California tested positive for EEE. West Nile Virus was recently found in mosquitoes tested in Vermont.

And it doesn't end there. Just a few of the alerts on hand include WNV in Oak Park, Illinois; Greenwich, Connecticut; Salinas, California, and Minnehaha, South Dakota.

EEE recently showed up in Craven County, North Carolina and Carroll County, Tennessee.

Vermont is having one of the worst mosquito seasons on record. Just how many mosquitoes are out there? It sounds like Vermonters have a lot of time on their hands. One researcher set out to determine just how many mosquitoes inhabit an acre of land...they're still counting.

Keep these three facts in mind: 1) Both diseases are carried by mosquitoes; 2) Both diseases can also be transferred by mosquitoes to humans; and 3) Both diseases are highly preventable with a simple vaccination program.

Florida Horse Health Alert: 2008 EEE Deaths Up to Nine

Part of the problem with mosquito-borne illnesses becoming more prevalent is the mosquito itself. The Asian Tiger Mosquito (ATM) has invaded the southeastern USA; it was carried from Asia in container loads of used tires that were not inspected for mosquitoes and falls under the heading of "invasive species". This new breed of skeeter is particularly well-suited for spreading diseases. The University of Florida is trying to educate people that the mosquitoes around them have changed their stripes.

As convoys of horse vans and trailers prepare to head north from Florida after the winter polo, horse show and racing seasons end next month, the warm climate that lured horsemen to the Sunshine State may play a cruel and deadly trick on them.

Already, nine cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) have been confirmed in Florida since the beginning of 2008, even though the peak season does not begin until May. There were a total of 18 cases of EEE in 2007 for the entire year.

Sadly, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture, six of the dead horses had not been vaccinated and two had not received booster shots. Only one horse was current with vaccinations.

EEE is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system and is transmitted to horses by infected mosquitoes. Signs of the virus include fever, listlessness, stumbling, circling, coma and usually death. The disease is fatal in horses in 90% of the cases.

So far this year EEE has been confirmed in horses in Putnam, Lake, Polk, Columbia, Clay and Volusia counties, all of which were fatal. Volusia has been hit the hardest, with four of the nine cases having been found there.

If you live in Florida and if you have been in the state with your horses recently (or plan to go), please consult your health records and be certain that the horse's vaccination status for EEE is up to date.

For more information, and continuing updates on occurences of the disease in Florida, please read the state's Department of Agriculture web site's recent update.