The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) offers alerts about equine diseases that have been confirmed by reliable sources. The following information is from the EDCC.
The South Carolina State Veterinarian’s office received laboratory confirmation of another new equine case of EEE on July 15. A five-year-old Mustang mare located in Berkley County was confirmed. This horse was unvaccinated and did not survive. This is the first confirmed case in Berkley County this year. The total number of confirmed cases in South Carolina in 2016 is now 9.
On July 15, a new EEE case was confirmed in Jackson County, Florida. The 8-year-old Mustang mare had no known vaccine history and no recent travel history. Clinical signs began on July 6 and the horse was euthanized for humane reasons the following day. This is the first confirmed EEE case in Jackson County and the 12th confirmed case in Florida for 2016.
About EDCC
The Equine Disease Communication Center works to protect horses and the horse industry from the threat of infectious diseases in North America. The communication system is designed to seek and report real time information about disease outbreaks similar to how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerts the human population about diseases in people.
The goal of the EDCC is to alert the horse industry about disease outbreak information to help mitigate and prevent the spread of disease. Ultimately frequent and accurate information about diseases outbreaks improves horse welfare and helps to prevent negative economic impact that can result from decreased horse use due to a fear of spreading infection. As part of the National Equine Health Plan the EDCC will serve as part of the communication to help educate and promote research about endemic and foreign disease.
Working in cooperation with state animal health officials and the United State Department of Agriculture, the EDCC seeks information about current disease outbreaks from news media, social media, official state reports and veterinary practitioners. Once information is confirmed, it is immediately posted on this website and messages sent to all states and horse organizations by email. Daily updates are posted until each outbreak is contained or deemed no longer a threat.
The EDCC is made possible by generous donations from organizations and horse owners. Please visit our sponsors that have generously supported this program for the benefit of the health and welfare of horses. To learn how you can help go to SUPPORT.
