Two Texas Horses Test Positive For EEE Texas has joined at least five other states this year in reporting cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis infection in horses. In Houston County, in the southeast corner of the state, a horse with clinical illness has tested positive for the disease, and in the north central Texas, in Denton County, a vaccinated horse also tested positive and exhibited clinical signs of disease. EEE, which can be transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes, also has been reported this year in horses in Georgia, Florida, Maine, Tennessee, and New Hampshire­ and in Ontario, Canada. "Infected horses are a ‘sentinel’ or warning that infected mosquitoes are in the area, and measures should be taken to protect humans against exposure to the dangerous pests,” said Dr. Andy Schwartz, state epidemiologist for the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. “Protect yourself and your horses with a mosquito spray containing DEET, get rid of stagnant water, and avoid being outside at night, when mosquitoes are more active.” “Vaccines are readily available to protect equine animals against mosquito-borne encephalitic diseases, but they must be given according to the manufacturer’s" directions, and it takes at least a week to 10 days after vaccination for protective antibodies to develop. Booster shots also must be given as needed....