A New Hampshire man has died from a mosquito-borne virus and another is battling three such viruses apparently acquired from a single bite, shining further light on a problem experts say will continue to grow with climate change. Joe Casey of Kensington is on a ventilator in intensive care with swelling in his brain after being infected with eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), West Nile virus, and St. Louis encephalitis in early August, the New York Post reports.
The father of four has been unable to move or communicate since, which is "gut-wrenching," sister-in-law Angela Barker says, per CBS News. She says doctors don't know which of the three viruses is causing his symptoms. There are no known treatments for any of the three. Another New Hampshire man, 41-year-old Steven Perry of Hampstead, died Aug. 19 of complications from EEE, reports Boston.com. Afterward, family members urged the public to take steps to limit one's chances of being bitten by a mosquito, including by eliminating standing water around the home, where mosquitoes lay eggs. Casey's family is doing the same.
At least one mosquito pool in Kensington has tested positive for EEE, according to state authorities. The town has warned residents of the threat. Elsewhere, voluntary curfews are in place to limit human contact with mosquitoes, per NewsNation. EEE kills about 30% of those afflicted, yet the virus remains incredibly rare in humans. Just six cases have been reported this year in the US (New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin), on par with previous years.
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However, with global warming, mosquitoes are able to survive "in more parts of the world—and for longer," which means more mosquitoes overall, per Time. Furthermore, with warmer temperatures, viruses reproduce faster in mosquitoes. This "reduces the window of time between when the mosquito becomes infected and when it becomes infectious," says Jonathan Oliver, an expert in vector-borne diseases at the University of Minnesota. (More mosquitoes stories.)