New Hampshire man dies from rare mosquito brain disease

Public health officials in New Hampshire announced on Tuesday that one person in the state has died from Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus, also known as EEE virus , a rare mosquito-borne infection that has been circulating in New England in recent weeks.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services reported that the adult, who has not been publicly identified, was hospitalized due to “severe central nervous system disease” after testing positive for EEE virus.

“We believe there is an elevated risk for EEEV infections this year in New England given the positive mosquito samples identified,” New Hampshire State Epidemiologist Benjamin Chan said in a DHHS press release. “The risk will continue into the fall until there is a hard frost that kills the mosquitos.”

Those who are infected with EEE virus from a mosquito bite and develop symptoms will typically become sick within four to 10 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

While the least severe form of the disease consists of flu-like symptoms, including fever, chills, body aches, and joint pain, the most severe cases can involve neurological impairment.

Such neurological disorders include meningitis, which is inflammation of the membranes protecting the brain and spinal cord, and encephalitis, inflammation of the brain itself.

About a third of those who develop encephalitis from EEE virus will die, according to the CDC, and those who survive neurological impairment often need long-term care.

There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment for EEE virus.

Mosquito-borne illnesses have become a growing concern for public health officials in recent years, with eight cases of domestically acquired malaria in Texas and Florida last year. West Nile virus has also been on the rise.

Over the weekend, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed one human case of EEE virus. There is also one human case in Vermont.

The last reported case of EEE virus in New Hampshire was in 2014, with three human cases and two fatalities.

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Massachusetts’s last outbreak was in the 2019-2020 season, during which there were 17 human cases and seven deaths.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources announced Monday it would be conducting both aerial and ground-based spraying for mosquitos to combat the spread of the virus. New Hampshire has not made a similar announcement.