Maine's health director says a popular fair
slated for next weekend is in the middle of a "hot spot" for
eastern equine encephalitis, the virus that's killed 14 horses in
the state and can also affect people.
Dora Anne Mills of the Maine Center for Disease Control and
Prevention said she's concerned about the Common Ground Country
Fair Sept. 25-27. Seven of the horses died in Waldo County, where
the fair's held, and four others have died in nearby Kennebec and
Penobscot counties.
Fair officials told the Kennebec Journal in Augusta that signs
will be posted on the grounds advising people to cover up with long
sleeves and long pants and to wear insect repellent.
The EEE virus is carried by mosquitoes. It can cause
neurological damage in humans.

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