A New Hampshire resident who tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis has become the first person in the state in a decade to die from the rare mosquito-borne disease. The New Hampshire Department of Health confirmed the death of the adult but did not provide the person's name or other details, NBC 5 reports. The person was hospitalized with severe central nervous system disease, The department said the last EEE fatality in the state was in 2014, when three people were infected and two died.
In Massachusetts, where one person has been infected this summer, people in areas considered at high risk have been urged to stay inside, especially in the evenings. Around 11 Americans are infected with EEE in a typical year, authorities say. Around 30% of infected people die, and "many survivors have ongoing neurologic problems," the CDC says. "It is very, very severe. Although it's a very rare infection, we have no treatment for it," says Dr. Richard Ellison, immunologist and infectious disease specialist at University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, per the AP. "Once someone gets it ... all we can do is provide supportive care, and it can kill people."
The symptoms of EEE "can include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, and drowsiness," according to the CDC. New Hampshire epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan says there appears to be an elevated risk this year. "The risk will continue into the fall until there is a hard frost that kills the mosquitos," Chan says. "Everybody should take steps to prevent mosquito bites when they are outdoors."
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