Connecticut leaders concerned about deadly EEE virus

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Connecticut leaders are keeping an eye on eastern equine encephalitis, also known as EEE, which has already killed one person in New England this year.

The death was in New Hampshire, and other cases have been detected in southern Massachusetts. About 30% of people who contract EEE will die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mosquitoes in Ledyard, North Stonington and Voluntown have tested positive for EEE this year, along with a deer in Lisbon. There have been no human cases in Connecticut so far this year.

There is no treatment for EEE. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, seizures and drowsiness.

Health officials and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station are keeping an eye on the situation.

“This is an unusual year,” said Guillermo Risatti, the director of the Connecticut Veterinary Diagnostic Medical Laboratory at the University of Connecticut. “Unusual in the sense that we have seen more cases in mammals like horses.”

You can protect yourself from mosquito bites by using repellent and wearing clothes that cover your arms and legs.

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