Clare Co. horse has Michigan's first 2026 case of animal EEE

Michigan officials announced the state’s first animal case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) for 2026, detected in a one-year-old Quarter Horse colt in Clare County. The case was found in an under-vaccinated horse, which was taken to a specialty hospital but was later euthanized, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Officials also noted an EEE detection earlier in 2026 in a Roscommon County resident, the first human case in Michigan since 2021. EEE is spread to animals and people through mosquito bites and often appears from late summer into early fall.