According to the Ontario County Health Department, a horse stabled in Farmington has tested positive for the Eastern Equine Ecephalitis virus. This is the first time the disease has been found in Ontario County.
EEE is a virus that infects horses and in rarer cases, humans. It can be fatal through brain inflammation, although it's far more common for horses to get the disease than humans, and humans sometimes are infected but don't develop any symptoms.
In horses, symptoms include fever, changes in gait and refusal to eat. For humans, sudden headaches, chills, fever, disorientation and vomiting are common. There's no vaccine against it.
EEE is spread by mosquitoes, and the usual precautions against mosquito bites are the best protection against it.