United States: A healthy forty-one-year-old man from New Hampshire died after getting infected with eastern equine encephalitis, a severe and rare disease via mosquito, according to an official state report.
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According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, the deceased is identified by his family as Steven Perry, who tested positive for triple E or EEE virus and was later hospitalized on August 12.
As per the reports, the mad had no underlying medical condition, yet Perry’s condition deteriorated progressively after contracting the fatal virus.
He died at Massachusetts General Hospital on April 19, one week after admission, as per his obituary.
His obituary read, “It is with heavy hearts that the family acknowledges that Steven left those that he loved far too soon after being stricken by a sudden and rare brain infection,” as today.com reported.
First human case in ten years
According to DHHS, it is the first human case of EEE in New Hampshire in ten years. Where the last human case was reported in 2024, when authorities identified three cases, including two deaths.
Moreover, the cases have also been reported in Massachusetts, Vermont, Wisconsin, and New Jersey.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2024, a minimum of five human cases of EEE have been confirmed by the authorities in the US.
As experts reveal, all five were said to be more severe (neuroinvasive) forms of the disease. However, at present, the case count is already on par with that of previous years.
In 2019, the case count was 38, the highest in a decade, as reported by Today.com.
More about the disease
According to expert reports, most people who get infected by the virus generally do not develop the symptoms. However, those who do develop symptoms typically begin within two to ten days after being bitten by the vector mosquito. The signs would include chills, high fever, muscular pain, and severe joint pain.
According to Dr. Daniel Pastula, chief of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, around five percent of those with infection develop brain or spinal cord swelling.
Moreover, as reported, cases are mostly reported in the months from July to September, where August appears to be the peak season.
According to New Hampshire state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan, “We believe there is an elevated risk for EEEV infections this year in New England given the positive mosquito samples identified,” as Today.com reported.