Death Reported From Rare Mosquito-Borne Disease as Vigilance Grows

An adult in New Hampshire has died of eastern equine encephalitis, a “rare but serious” illness also known as EEE, CBS reported. It’s the state’s first human case of the disease in a decade and comes hot on the heels of another reported case just 10 miles away in Massachusetts, leaving residents and tourists on edge.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that the victim was a citizen of Hampstead, which lies about 10 miles from the border of Lawrence, MA. Both states have each reported a single case of EEE this summer.

The disease exhibits itself with flu-like symptoms, but there can also be severe neurological side effects, such as inflammation in the brain or around the spinal cord, both of which can lead to long-term disability or even death. According to medical experts, the Hampstead resident who died as a result of EEE—whose identity has not been made public—developed a severe illness of the central nervous system before their passing. The Massachusetts victim was an 80-year-old man from Oxford and the first person to have EEE in the state since 2020.

New Hampshire provides a tracking system to determine each community's risk of mosquito-borne infection. The most recent map, made available on August 15, reported that the towns of Gilmanton, Kensington, and Tilton were at the highest risk.

"In New Hampshire, mosquitos transmit infections including Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, West Nile Virus, and Jamestown Canyon Virus," state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said in a statement. "We believe there is an elevated risk for EEEV infections this year in New England given the positive mosquito samples identified. The risk will continue into the fall until there is a hard frost that kills the mosquitos. Everybody should take steps to prevent mosquito bites when they are outdoors."