State Senator Patty Ritchie wants state officials to provide answers after a St. Lawrence County horse reportedly died from the same mosquito-borne illness that had claimed the life of a four-year-old Oswego County girl.

Senator Ritchie has written to the state’s top health, agriculture and environmental officials to ask about testing and plans to spray against mosquitoes that carry the Eastern equine encephalitis virus.

Ritchie said she has asked the chair of the Senate Health Committee to join her in a public forum on the government’s response to the disease.

“This crisis demands the highest level, coordinated response from public health officials and others who hold high office in state government. I am therefore expanding my request for information about steps that the state is taking to track the virus throughout the region and further prevent its spread through spraying and other measures.”

In her invitation to officials, Ritchie wrote, “In particular, I would like you to provide information concerning your plans to monitor the disease. To what extent has spraying been undertaken to prevent the spread of mosquitoes in St. Lawrence County? What steps will now be taken?”

Last month, four-year-old Maggie Wilcox of Oswego died from EEE.

This week, state officials learned that a horse infected with the disease was euthanized on Aug. 22.

Senator Ritchie’s letter can be seen at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/63730780/EEE-followup.