9/24/19
by News Department on 09/24/19CDC Warning...
The Pennsylvania Departments of Agriculture and Health is warning Pennsylvanians to take precautionary measures against mosquito bites for themselves and their animals – specifically horses – as the rare mosquito-transmitted viral infection Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) has been confirmed in Erie, Carbon, and Monroe counties.
According to Skook News, the virus is carried by birds. If a mosquito bites an infected bird it can then transmit the potentially fatal virus to humans, horses, and other birds.
Because of the high mortality rate in horses and humans, EEE is regarded as one of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases in the US.
Through mid-September, there have been 18 cases reported to the CDC from across the country in 2019, with the majority of the cases in northeastern or Mid-Atlantic States.
The CDC warns that several cases have been fatal.
