Equine virus found in Chesapeake mosquito pool ~ VA
The Virginian-Pilot
© July 24, 2002CHESAPEAKE -- A mosquito pool in the Elbow Road area tested positive for the eastern equine encephalitis virus on July 11, according to the city's Health Department.
The virus, like West Nile, is spread by mosquitoes that feed on birds and small rodents and then carry it to horses and humans. Both diseases produce inflammation in the brain and cause neurological dysfunction in horses.
Last year, at least two horses in Suffolk died of EEE, and in 2000, at least six horses in Suffolk and Chesapeake died from the virus. EEE can be fatal to people, although only four human cases of the disease have ever been reported in Virginia. City mosquito commissions have been working to reduce mosquito counts, and there has been a substantial decrease in mosquitoes in the Elbow Road area, Health Department officials said in a statement.
Symptoms of EEE are similar to those of meningitis and include headache, lethargy, nausea and vomiting, according to the Health Department. To protect against EEE, people should get rid of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, use mosquito repellant and avoid the outdoors in the early evening.