Hamilton Public Health Services has recorded its first case of a horse testing positive for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus since 2019.

The public health unit announced the case in a media release Tuesday, noting there have been no reports of human illness caused by the virus in the city.

The EEE virus is one of a group of mosquito-transmitted viruses, including West Nile virus, that can cause inflammation of the brain known as encephalitis. The virus is generally found in birds and then transmitted by mosquitoes to other animals.

Connie Osborne, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, confirmed to The Spectator that a 14-year-old male miniature horse in Hamilton had tested positive for the virus and was euthanized earlier this month.

Osborne said t

See Full Page