Michigan is reporting its first case of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in a domestic animal this year.

The mosquito-borne disease was detected in an unvaccinated horse in Benzie County, the state announced Thursday, Aug. 28.

EEE has a high mortality rate for horses, causing up to 90% of infected animals to die from the disease, according to the U.C. Davis Center for Equine Health. The viral disease causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

In humans, the disease has a fatality rate of 33% in people who become ill, explained Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive.

“It only takes one bite from an infected mosquito to cause a severe illness,” she said. “We urge Michiganders to take precautions such as using an EPA-registered insect repellent when outdoors,

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