Residents of the New England region are taking precautions after a New Hampshire man died from the rare, but deadly, mosquito-borne infection eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEE).
His marks the first death from the virus in the states this year, but reports of infections in Vermont and Massachusetts after years without any reported cases has residents on high alert
Here is what we know about the recent outbreak:.
What is EEE?
Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is a virus spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. If contacted, the rare virus is very serious. 30% of people with EEE die, with death usually occurring 2 to 10 days after onset of symptoms, or much later, according to the Centers for Disease Control .
Depending on age, survivors of the virus can be left with fever that lasts 1-2 weeks or more serious ongoing neurological problems, according to the the CDC. Symptoms of EEE include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, and drowsiness. There are currently no human vaccines to prevent or medicine to treat the virus.
Most people infected with EEE do not develop symptoms, but for those who do the time from an infected mosquito bite to onset of illness ranges from 4 to 10 days.
Where is the virus most prevalent?
Only a few cases of EEE are reported in the United States each year, with most cases occurring in eastern or Gulf Coast states, according to the CDC. On Tuesday, state health officials announced that a New Hampshire resident died after testing positive for EEE.
The unidentified resident had been hospitalized due to severe central nervous system symptoms. The EEE infection was the first in the state in a decade. Previous to that the last known EEE infection in New Hampshire took place in 2014. Three people were infected by the mosquito-borne virus that year and two of them died.
It was the fifth EEE case reported this year, following cases in the states of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and Wisconsin, according to the CDC.
A man in his 40s from Chittenden County was hospitalized on July 16 with the virus, the Vermont Department of Health announced earlier this month.
Massachusetts state health officials also confirmed on August 16 that a man in his 80s had been infected, marking the first human infection in the state since 2020, when an outbreak saw 17 people infected and left seven dead.
How to protect yourself from EEE
There are currently no human vaccines or medicines to prevent EEE. According to the CDC, the best way to prevent infection is to take the steps to protect yourself from mosquito bites in general if you live in areas where EEE infections are a risk.
People in those areas should use insect repellent, wear long-sleeve shirts and pants, and take steps to control mosquitoes indoors and outdoors. The Massachusetts Public Health Department announced that they would begin aerial mosquito sprayings in parts of Plymouth County and the truck-based spraying in southern Worcester County starting August 27.
The outbreak comes in the midst of peak mosquito season in the U.S and will continue until temperatures rise. “The risk will continue into the fall until there is a hard frost that kills" the mosquitoes, New Hampshire’s state epidemiologist, Dr. Benjamin Chan, said in a news release Tuesday.
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