EEE and Rabies: Recognizing the Signs and Reporting Cases

When you suspect Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) or rabies in a horse, you need to know what to do. This 90-minute webinar will feature four state specialists sharing their knowledge and expertise regarding EEE and rabies in Wisconsin. Attendees can expect to learn more about the clinical signs, the full testing process, and the expected timeline as well as what is required when a case of either is suspected or confirmed. Attendees will learn more about why these diseases are both animal health and public health issues and who you should contact when you suspect a case and need testing.

Speakers

Yvonne M Bellay, DVM, MS
Dr. Yvonne Bellay manages animal welfare programs for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, where she is also an epidemiologist. She oversees the department's training and certification of local humane officers, and its dog seller and rabies control programs. In addition, deals with zoonotic disease and public health issues, serving as the department's liaison with state and local public health departments. Dr. Bellay also acts as a resource to local authorities in investigating and resolving local animal welfare complaints.

Julie Ann McGwin, DVM
Dr. Julie Ann McGwin earned a DVM with Honors from the University of Illinois and moved to WI where she spent 21 years working in private mixed practice. She then worked as a Public Health Veterinarian with the WI Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WI-DATCP) Division of Food Safety for nine years. For the last seven years, she has been a Program Manager for WI-DATCP Division of Animal Health. She manages the Swine, Equine, Brucellosis, and Sheep/Goat programs and is a member of the WVMA, the AVMA, the AABP, and the Food Armor Committee. Dr. McGwin and her husband live on their Marquette County farm. They have two grown children and one granddaughter.

Keith Poulsen, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Dr. Keith Poulsen holds a joint appointment in Large Animal Internal Medicine at the School of Veterinary Medicine and is the Director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Poulsen’s interests focus on infectious diseases of cattle, zoonotic infectious diseases, and global health. He has experience working in Ecuador, Uganda, and China. Current projects in progress focus on bovine salmonellosis, antimicrobial resistance avoidance, and tuberculosis testing of dairy farm workers.

Dr. Poulsen has also been active in managing COVID-19 by developing a dedicated diagnostic laboratory for human COVID-19 testing in collaboration with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene. WVDL is also collaborating with DHS and DATCP for public education and improvement of service for EEE and rabies testing of horses.

Rachel Klos, DVM, MPH,
Dr. Rachel Klos is an infectious disease epidemiologist with the Wisconsin Department of Health Service in the Vectorborne Diseases Program and is the acting State Public Health Veterinarian. She is responsible for conducting surveillance for tick- and mosquito-borne diseases and zoonotic diseases, including rabies. Prior to her current responsibilities, Rachel spent 10 years as an enteric diseases epidemiologist conducting investigations of food and waterborne disease outbreaks. Rachel received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has been with the Department of Health Services since 2007.

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