What you need to know about the uncommon mosquito-borne virus EEE

One person died in Up-to-date Hampshire after contracting the mosquito-borne eastern encephalomyelitis virus, and two other people in the Northeast contracted the uncommon disease this summer.

Health authorities in the north-east of the country have reported an increased risk of infection with the virus and urged residents to take precautions between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most busy.

What is EEE?

The disease, like West Nile virus, is spread by mosquitoes, but EEE has a higher mortality rate and is rarer. It is not contagious from person to person.

There is no cure for the disease, and about 30 percent of people who get it die, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionMany people who survive the disease have chronic neurological problems.

There are several cases in the US every year.

Most cases are in the eastern states or on the Gulf Coast. States that have reported cases this year said they were detecting the virus in residents for the first time in years.

Up-to-date Hampshire Department of Public Health he said on Tuesday that an adult in Hampstead who tested positive for the virus has died. It was the first reported infection in the state since 2014, when the Department of Health identified three human cases, including two deaths.

At the beginning of this monthThe Vermont Department of Health said a Chittenden County man in his 40s was the first person in the state to be diagnosed with the disease since 2012, when two people contracted EEE and died. The Chittenden County man was hospitalized in July and released a week later.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health he said this month that a man in his 80s who was exposed in Worcester County was the first person diagnosed with the disease in the state since 2020.

As of 1938, when the virus was first identified, there have been about 115 cases of the disease in Massachusetts. state department of public healthAn epidemic was recorded in 2019 and 2020, with 17 cases and seven deaths.

How to avoid EEE in high risk areas.

In areas with a high risk of the virus, people may reduce the risk of being bitten by an infected mosquito by staying indoors between dusk and dawn. People outdoors should wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks, and operate repellents.

At home, people should make sure their window screens are free of holes and are tightly attached to doors and windows. They should also remove standing water from their property.

The virus is most common in and around freshwater, demanding marshes. “If you live in an area where you have that type of habitat, you should be more aware of the potential for it,” he said Dawn Wessonassistant professor in the Department of Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in Up-to-date Orleans.

The risk of disease persists until the first weighty frosts, which kill the mosquitoes.

What are the symptoms?

Most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito and infected with the virus do not become ill.

People who become ill usually experience symptoms four to ten days after being bitten. The CDC stated thatFever, chills, body aches, and joint pain may occur.

The infection can also lead to neurological diseases, which can include meningitis and encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. Symptoms of this type of infection include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, drowsiness and coma.

“Of the 4 to 5 percent of people who get infected and get infirmed, only about a third will get the most severe and scary form of the disease, which is encephalitis,” said Stephen Opulent, a professor of microbiology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Some communities support the introduction of a curfew.

In Massachusetts, 10 municipalities are under consideration. high or critical risk for EEE A high risk level means that there is a chance that someone in the area will contract the virus, while a critical risk level means that someone in the area has been found to have the virus.

Dr. Opulent, who is also director of the Up-to-date England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, said Massachusetts has a particularly resilient and exacting surveillance system for mosquito-borne viruses. “The absence in a given state doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not there,” he said. “It may be more of a reflection of less resilient surveillance.”

The city of Plymouth, located about 40 miles south of Boston, he said on Friday that all parks and playing fields will be closed from dusk to dawn due to the risk of disease.

Oxford, which is 11 miles south of Worcester, he told the residents to avoid being outdoors from dusk to dawn. An Oxford resident was the person the state identified as having the disease, according to City Manager Jennifer Callahan.

In the note Last week, Ms. Callahan said the person was still in hospital and her family had told her the person had “said for years that he had never been bitten by mosquitoes,” but just before the symptoms began, she said she had recently been bitten.

Trucks are spraying pesticides in parts of the state to control mosquitoes, as well is to be expanded on Tuesday evening, which will include aerial spraying in Plymouth County and truck spraying in modern locations.

Vermont health officials said they were increasing mosquito sampling and testing and urged residents of three counties — Chittenden, Grand Isle and Franklin — to take extra steps to protect themselves. In Up-to-date Hampshire, health officials advised residents to be cautious outdoors.