ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. - There will be an additional area in Allegan County that will be included in the aerial spraying related to a confirmed case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in a deer that was reported to the Allegan County Health Department (ACHD) and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) on Saturday.
ACHD said this is the first confirmed case of EEE in an animal or human in Allegan County.
MDHHS said due to the large geographic spread of EEE and projected warm weather, they will be partnering with local health departments to conduct aerial spraying in areas of concern.
EEE is one of the most dangerous mosquito-borne diseases, with a 33% fatality rate among humans who contract the disease and a 90% fatality rate among horses. It is transmitted through mosquito bites.
There are currently two areas scheduled to be sprayed which include the southeast area of Trowbridge Township — where the confirmed deer was found — and the southeast area of Gun Plain Township — within a 2.5-mile radius of a confirmed deer in Barry County.
The aerial spraying will be in Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lapeer, Montcalm, Newaygo, St. Joseph and Van Buren. All of those counties have cases of EEE in people and/or animals.
EEE aerial spray zones
ACHD said the spraying is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. on Sept. 29 but could change depending on the weather.
This is the first time Michigan and local health departments will be conducting aerial spraying to combat EEE since 1980, according to the Associated Press. Although, communities have sprayed locally to fight outbreaks of the West Nile Virus.
Cases of EEE first popped up in West Michigan at the end of August, when six horses in Barry, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties died from the disease. Since then, cases have spread around the region.
To date, state health officials have confirmed nine cases of EEE in humans and 27 confirmed cases in animals across 14 counties. Three people have died from EEE.
► For more information about EEE, click here.
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