Horse infected with deadly EEE disease in Ouachita County

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Officials with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture have confirmed that a horse in Ouachita County has been infected with a deadly disease.

State officials said that a horse was infected with eastern equine encephalomyelitis, also known as EEE, but was not exposed to any other horses.

EEE is a rare and deadly infection that causes encephalitis, an acute inflammation of the brain. The disease spreads through insects that have bitten birds affected with the virus, officials said.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Livestock and Poultry Division is asking horse owners to monitor for early signs of the disease, which includes loss of appetite, decreased activity, and depression.

Horses are not the only animals that can contract the disease. Other animals that can be affected include other birds, reptiles, amphibians and other mammals.