VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich — A deadly mosquito-borne illness has reappeared in West Michigan in 2024.
A horse in Van Buren County has a confirmed case of Eastern equine encephalitis, better known as EEE. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says the Standardbred filly had not been vaccinated for EEE.
This is the first detection of EEE in Michigan in 2024.
EEE is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. Humans, horses, and other wild animals are susceptible to the disease.
In 2019, 6 people died after catching the disease through mosquito bites. The risk of EEE prompted many high schools to adjust or cancel after-school activities that year.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recommends the following steps to prevent catching EEE:
- Apply insect repellents that contain the active ingredient DEET, or other U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved products, to exposed skin or clothing and always follow the manufacturer’s directions for use.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors. Apply insect repellent to clothing to help prevent bites.
- Maintain window and door screening to help keep mosquitoes outside.
- Empty water from mosquito breeding sites around the home, such as buckets, unused children’s pools, old tires, or similar sites where mosquitoes may lay eggs.
- Use nets and/or fans over outdoor eating areas.
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