First 2019 Equine Encephalitis Case Confirmed in SC

COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s state veterinarian announced Monday that the state’s first case this year of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) has been confirmed in Chesterfield County.
The infected horse, a year-old Appaloosa colt, had not been vaccinated and did not survive.
Boyd Parr, South Carolina state veterinarian and director of Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health, said “This is a clarion call for vaccinations against diseases like EEE and West Nile Virus and horse owners should check with their veterinarian to be sure their horses’ vaccinations are up to date.”
The EEE and WNV viruses are mosquito-borne and fast-acting. Symptoms in horses usually develop from two to five days after exposure. The symptoms include stumbling, circling, head pressing, depression or apprehension, weakness of legs, partial paralysis, the inability to stand, muscle twitching or death.
Clemson Veterinary Diagnostic Center currently provides testing for EEE and WNV at no charge thanks to an agreement with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). The current agreement expires July 31, but DHEC is exploring its options for continuing this surveillance program after July.