Emu Catches EEE in Maine

Maine officials say three York County mosquito pools tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and an emu in Cumberland County has the disease.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention says the three pools bring the total number of positive tests to four in 2014. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry says the emu is located in the Sebago Lake region. Authorities say the emu had not been vaccinated against the disease.

State veterinarian Michele Walsh says Eastern Equine Encephalitis is a mosquito-borne, usually fatal disease in animals such as horses and llamas, and it typically kills emus. Humans can also get the disease from mosquito bites. The disease causes serious illness in humans. There is no human vaccine or treatment for the disease.