State
Veterinarian Dr. Ernest Zirkle today urged horse
owners throughout the Garden State to consult their
veterinarians about the need to vaccinate their
horses and other equids against Eastern equine
encephalitis (EEE), a disease blamed for the death
earlier this month of a Thoroughbred in Newfield,
Gloucester County. The animal had not been vaccinated
against the disease this year. Zirkle cautioned
that it is important not to confuse EEE with West
Nile Virus (WNV). "They are completely different
diseases but share some characteristics --
in both cases mosquitoes carry the virus to the
host animal after feeding on infected wild birds, " he
said. "and neither virus can be spread from horse
to horse or from horse to human. A significant
difference between the viruses is existence of
an effective vaccine for EEE but not for WNV." Wet,
warm weather can result in an increase in the mosquitoes
that carry this disease. EEE poses a mortal risk
for horses that haven't been properly vaccinated
to prevent the disease. "This is usually a summer
disease problem in New Jersey but we won't be out
of the woods until a hard freeze ends mosquito
activity," Zirkle noted, "so we may have as much
as three months of mosquito season left. "A vaccination
could mean the difference between life and death
for a horse that's stricken with the disease," he
added. "Horse owners should check their records
to make sure that EEE vaccinations and boosters
are kept up to date. ANY HORSE THAT HASN'T RECEIVED
A PRIMARY SERIES OR BOOSTER WITHIN THE LAST SIX
MONTHS SHOULD BE GIVEN THE VACCINATION OR BOOSTER NOW.
It's literally a matter of life and death if the
horse is bitten by a virus-carrying mosquito." Horses
must receive two initial doses of vaccine at a
10 to 14 day interval and an annual immunization thereafter.
No cases of the disease were reported in New Jersey
last year, most likely because the severe drought
interrupted mosquito breeding cycles.
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