MADISON, WI — Wisconsin health officials are urging residents to protect against mosquito bites after confirming the state's first case of Eastern equine encephalitis activity this year.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection confirmed a horse in Portage County tested positive for the virus, known as EEE, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
The finding means mosquitoes capable of spreading the disease to people and animals are active in the state.
EEE spreads to horses, other animals and humans through the bite of an infected mosquito that has fed on an infected bird. The virus does not spread directly from person to person or between animals and people.
Health officials describe EEE as "rare" but serious.
Some people who become infected develop fever, headache, chills, and vomiting.
In severe cases, the virus can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, along with disorientation, seizures and coma.
About 30 percent of people who develop severe EEE die, and many survivors face long term neurological problems. Adults over 50 and children under 15 face the greatest risk of severe illness.
No vaccine or treatment exists for people infected with the virus.
Because EEE is now known to be circulating in Wisconsin, DHS is asking residents and visitors to take precautions against mosquito bites and to eliminate breeding sites around their homes.
Mosquito activity and the risk of EEE, West Nile virus and other mosquito borne diseases will continue through the fall until a hard frost, defined as temperatures below 28 degrees for at least four consecutive hours.
To avoid bites, DHS recommends applying insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 to exposed skin and clothing, treating clothing with permethrin before heading outside, and wearing long sleeves, long pants and socks outdoors.
The agency also suggests rescheduling outdoor activities away from evening and early morning hours when mosquitoes are most active.
DHS is also encouraging residents to mosquito proof their homes by keeping window and door screens intact, removing stagnant water from items like tin cans, flower pots, tires and gutters, and turning over wheelbarrows, buckets and small boats when not in use. The agency recommends changing water in bird baths and pet dishes at least every three days, maintaining swimming pools, saunas and hot tubs, and trimming or mowing tall grass and weeds where mosquitoes rest during the day.
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