Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus

Equine Encephalitis Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Western Equine Encephalitis, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis

What is equine encephalitis head pressing behaviors, the inability How can I protect my and what causes it? to swallow, paralysis and convulsions. animal from equine The equine encephalitis viruses Horses infected with EEE often do encephalitis viruses? not survive. Survival rates of horses are mosquito transmitted diseases Vaccines for EEE, WEE, and VEE infected with WEE is 70-80%. For VEE, that can cause severe inflammation are available for horses. Measures to death rates are variable but can be as of the brain (encephalitis) in horses control mosquito populations and high as 90%. and humans. As the names suggest, minimize mosquito exposure will Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) Can I get EEE, WEE, or VEE? decrease chances of infection. most commonly occurs in the Eastern Yes. People can be infected from United States and Canada. Western How can I protect myself the bite of an mosquito carrying the equine encephalitis (WEE) has been from equine encephalitis virus. Disease will vary depending isolated from Argentina to Western viruses? on the specific virus involved. Signs Canada and in U.S. states west of the include the sudden onset of fever, You can reduce the chances of Mississippi River. Venezuelan equine chills, body and joint aches. Infection becoming infected with EEE, WEE, encephalitis (VEE) is primarily found in can develop into severe encephalitis, and VEE by taking measures to Central and South America, although resulting in headache, disorientation, decrease mosquito exposure and it has been reported in Mexico and tremors, seizures and paralysis. prevent mosquito bites such as using the U.S. Permanent brain damage, coma mosquito repellent (that contains and death may also occur in some DEET) and avoiding outdoor activities What animals can get EEE, when mosquitoes are most active WEE, or VEE? cases. VEE infection can also include coughing, sore throat, nausea, (dusk and dawn). These viruses primarily cause vomiting and diarrhea. disease in equine species (e.g., For More Information horses, mules, donkeys, zebras), but a Who should I contact, if I CFSPH Technical Fact Sheets. Equine number of other animals such as pigs, suspect EEE, WEE, or VEE? Encephalomyelitis at http://www.cfsph. llamas, bats, reptiles, amphibians, and In Animals – iastate.edu/DiseaseInfo/ rodents can also be infected. Birds are Contact your veterinarian. CDC website. Eastern Equine Encephalitis at reservoirs for the virus, often being In Humans – http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/arbor/ infected without signs of disease. Contact your physician. eeefact.htm Some birds (e.g., pheasants, emus, CDC website. Western Equine Encephalitis at whooping cranes, partridges) can http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/arbor/ have illness or death once infected weefact.htm with EEE, WEE, or VEE. USDA-APHIS website. Venezuelan Equine En- cephalitis at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ How can my animal get publications/animal_health/content/ EEE, WEE, or VEE? printable_version/fs_ahvee.pdf These viruses are spread through USDA-APHIS website. Eastern Equine En- cephalitis at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ the bite of an infected mosquito. publications/animal_health/content/ Equine printable_version/fs_eastern_equine_en- How does EEE, WEE, or ceph.pdf VEE affect my animal? Encephalitis Viruses are spread by mosquitoes Viral encephalitis viruses affect and can affect the the nervous system, so affected nervous system animals will have fever, depression of animals and humans. and changes in behavior. Signs of Photo: Aedes mosquito, CDC Public Health infection may also include impaired Image Library vision, muscle twitches, circling or