WELLINGTON COUNTY – The second confirmed case of eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) in Wellington County has been identified.
An unvaccinated eight-year-old shetland pony began experiencing clinical signs on Aug. 2.
The mare developed a fever and was lethargic, according to an alert from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA).
By Aug. 3, the horse had developed acute neurologic signs (head-pressing, ataxia) and was referred to an equine hospital where she was reported to have signs of cranial nerve involvement (horizontal nystagmus, head tilt, neck to the right and absent menace response).
Ultimately she was euthanized.
The first confirmed case in the county was found in a undervaccinated two-year-old horse on July 29.
This horse was euthanized after developing a fever with acute neurological signs and became the first case throughout the province this year.
“The cases are not linked and there is no increased rick for EEE for local horses,” OMAFA spokesperson Connie Osborne said.
“Over the past five years there have been 58 cases of EEE (in Ontario), including the most recent one.”
“We continue to encourage horse owners to ensure their horses are up to date with EEE vaccinations and to contact their veterinarian if they are concerned about their horse’s rick for contracting EEE,” Osborne added.
The rare mosquito-borne virus mainly affects horses, but also poses a low risk to humans, though cases can prove fatal in people.
Humans can only get infected through a bite from a mosquito carrying the virus.
Horses can not give other horses or people the virus.
According to Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Publc Health (WDGPH), to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses, county residents should:
- wear light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants, especially outdoors at dawn and dusk;
- use Health Canada-approved mosquito repellent;
- repair window and door screens; and
- drain standing water from their property (such as flowerpots, birdbaths, kiddie pools, clogged gutters).
A third case was confirmed outside the county in Hamilton on Aug. 18. The 14-year-old horse was unvaccinated and euthanized after developing acute neurological signs on Aug. 9.
Another mosquito-borne illness, West Nile Virus (WNV), was confirmed in a one-year-old horse in Waterloo.
The standardbred was undervaccinated and euthanized. This is the first confimed case of equine WNV in Ontario this year.
For more information about avoiding mosquito-borne illnesses visit the WDGPH website at wdgpublichealth.ca.
