On Tuesday, the Health Department of Northwest Michigan (HDNW) was told about a sick young osprey found near the Central Lake Elementary School baseball field in Antrim County.
The osprey was taken to a wildlife rehabilitator but died within 24 hours. The Michigan Department of Natural Resource tested the bird, which was found to be infected with Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).
EEE is not spread person-to-person or animal-to-animal but through mosquito bites. EEE is one of the most dangerous mosquito-borne diseases in the U.S., with a 33% fatality rate among people who become ill. The fatality rate in birds and other animals varies.
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Symptoms include sudden fever, chills, and body and joint aches. Illness can eventually develop into severe encephalitis (swelling in the brain), headache, disorientation, tremors, seizures and paralysis. Permanent brain damage, coma and death can occur.
To protect yourself from mosquito bites:
- Use insect repellents with DEET or other U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved products on exposed skin or clothing
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors
- Avoid peak mosquito activity between dusk and dawn whenever possible
- Use nets and/or fans over outdoor seating areas
- Make sure window and door screens are in good shape
- Empty water from buckets, unused kiddie pools, old tires or similar sites where water can collect and mosquitoes may lay eggs
To protect animals:
- Put farm animals in the barn during peak mosquito activity from dusk to dawn
- Check with your vet on EEE vaccinations available for your animals
- Use insect repellants approved for each animal species
- Eliminate standing water on your property
Mosquito-borne illness will continue to be a risk in Michigan until late fall when nighttime temperatures consistently fall below freezing.