An Imminent Threat to Public Health declared for SLC because of EEE

New York state says because of numerous cases of Eastern equin and sephtis or Triple E in St Lawrence County it has triggered an imminent threat to Public Health alert Sean news reporter Thomas cafarella asking questions about that Elizabeth Morris has been taking care of smooches for years but before smooches Morse had been a healthy horse until Morse noticed a sudden change he had a hard time eating hay and uh it's almost like his brain got swollen later she found out that her horse contracted Eastern ecin enalis a virus carried by mosquitoes that causes swelling of the brain tissue and can lead to death while uncommon it's not new to the North country but what is the rate it's been seen last year we had five horses test positive between July and October this year we've had five horses test positive Just Between the very end of July and almost mid August cases have been seen in the Northern parts of St Lawrence County braier Norfork Norwood potam and huon concerning Health officials the more the virus circulates the more likely a person could come into contact with it there's a high chance of dying from the disease there's no cure for the disease there have been 11 cases of Triple E in New York state since 1971 eight died and the rest never fully recovered stff says you can only contract the virus through mosquito bites early symptoms in humans can include headaches fever and an altered mental state health officials want more data on where the infected mosquitoes are coming from before spraying areas there are preventative measures people can use approved insect repellent avoid going out during Peak mosquito hours and wear long sleeves although there are no vaccines for humans there are for horses my horses are now vaccinated for it health officials say it takes a few weeks for horses to build immunity to the virus now smooches can run free without the fear of Triple E Thomas cafarella 7 News