One person has died in New Hampshire after being infected with the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis virus, the state Department of Health said Tuesday. It was the first case in a decade in the state; the victim was identified only as an adult who had been hospitalized for severe nervous system symptoms, officials said.
About one-third of people who develop encephalitis from this virus die from the infection, and survivors can suffer lifelong mental and physical disabilities. There is no vaccine and no treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 11 human cases in the United States each year.
It can also cause flu-like symptoms and lead to serious neurological illness along with inflammation of the brain and membranes surrounding the spinal cord.
There were three cases in New Hampshire in 2014, two of which were fatal. The state Department of Health said the virus, which is rare but serious, has also been detected in a horse and in several mosquito swarms this summer.
The virus has also appeared in neighboring states, with human cases reported in Massachusetts and Vermont, officials added.
“We believe there is an elevated risk for infections in New England this year, given the positive mosquito samples identified. The risk will continue into the fall until a hard frost occurs that kills mosquitoes. Everyone should take steps to avoid mosquito bites when outdoors,” said Dr. Benjamin Chan, state epidemiologist.
In Massachusetts, one town closed its parks at night, and four other municipalities urged people to avoid going outdoors at night amid the alarm over the virus, after detecting the first case since 2020 last week in a man in his 80s.
Plymouth, 40 miles southeast of Boston, said Friday it would close its outdoor public recreation facilities from dusk to dawn daily after a horse contracted the disease. And state health officials warned that four towns south of Worcester — Douglas, Oxford, Sutton and Webster — are at “serious risk” after an Oxford man contracted the virus.
The alarm over this disease coincides these days in the United States with that of the West Nile virus, after Dr. Anthony Fauci, who worked as the country’s top expert on infections during the coronavirus pandemic, had to be hospitalized after being diagnosed with this disease before returning home to recover. He is expected to recover.
West Nile virus is spread through mosquito bites. While most people have no symptoms, one in five people may experience fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea and rash, according to the CDC. One in 150 people infected develops severe, sometimes fatal, symptoms.
