N.H. man dies from eastern equine encephalitis

Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A New Hampshire man died shortly after testing positive for eastern equine encephalitis caused by a mosquito bite, state health officials announced Tuesday.

The man was a resident of Hampstead and was hospitalized in New Hampshire with a severe disease affecting his central nervous system, according to the state's health department.

"We believe there is an elevated risk of [eastern equine encephalitis] infections this year in New England given the positive mosquito samples identified," New Hampshire epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said in a press release Tuesday.

"The risk will continue into the fall until there is a hard frost that kills the mosquitoes," Chan said. "Everybody should take steps to prevent mosquito bites when they are outdoors."

The New Hampshire man is the state's first reported case of eastern equine encephalitis since 2014, when three people were diagnosed with the viral disease, two of whom died.

The viral disease also was diagnosed in a horse and seven mosquito batches this summer in New Hampshire.

The Massachusetts Department of Health has categorized at least 10 communities as having a high or critical risk of the virus' spread.

Mosquitoes infected with eastern equine encephalitis can spread it to humans when biting them to feed on blood, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Very few cases are reported in the United States each year with most of those occurring in eastern states or along the Gulf Coast.

The disease causes death in about 30% of cases and ongoing neurological problems for many survivors.

Common symptoms include fever, headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, drowsiness and behavioral changes.

No vaccines are available to prevent the disease's spread, and no medicines are available to treat it. Preventing mosquito bites is the only effective defense against the viral disease.

The worst known outbreak of eastern equine encephalitis in the United States occurred in 2019, when 38 people were diagnosed with the disease and half of them died.