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Concerns about the dangers of mosquito-borne viruses are on the rise after the first New York resident to contract eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) since 2015 died last weekend, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Monday.
“Eastern equine encephalitis is different this year. While we normally see these mosquitoes in two to three counties each year, this year they have been in 15 counties so far, and scattered all over New York State,” said State Health Commissioner James McDonald in a press release on Monday. “This life-threatening mosquito-borne disease has no commercially available human vaccine and must be taken seriously. Mosquitoes, once a nuisance, are now a threat.”
The virus, which is contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito, has been on the rise across the Northeast, prompting Massachusetts coastal towns to shut down parks and playgrounds to better protect residents amid concerns about the deadliness of the disease. Some 30% of people who have a serious case of EEE die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), though that number can be even higher in some years.
“The peak time for when these cases are going to be seen is right now, July through September,” says Erin Staples, CDC medical epidemiologist.
In 2024, only 10 people were infected with EEE, though the data was last updated on Sept. 17 and does not yet include the New York case.
What is EEE?
Eastern equine encephalitis virus is a rare disease that is transmitted by various species of mosquitoes. Experts say that while cases are few and far between, and most people who contract the diseases are asymptomatic, the most severe cases can prove fatal.
“In individuals who do survive eastern equine encephalitis, we often do see folks go on to have virologic deficits longer term. So [it’s] definitely one of our more severe arboviral infections,” says Jennifer White, director of the Vector-Borne Disease Program at the New York State Department of…
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