A healthy 41-year-old man in New Hampshire has died after contracting eastern equine encephalitis, a rare but serious virus spread by mosquitoes.
The man, identified by his family as Steven Perry, tested positive for the virus known as EEE or triple E, and was hospitalized with severe central nervous system disease, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday.
Perry was a resident of Hampstead, a town in southern New Hampshire about 45 miles north of Boston.
The 41-year-old was healthy and had no underlying medical conditions, his family told affiliate NBC Boston. However, Perry’s disease progressed rapidly, and he went to the hospital on Aug. 12.
Perry died one week later at Massachusetts General Hospital on Aug. 19, 2024, according to his obituary.
“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,” the obituary read.
Previously, Perry tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis, a rare infection caused by a virus spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, TODAY.com previously reported.
It is the first human case of eastern equine encephalitis in New Hampshire in 10 years. The last human EEE infection reported in the state was in 2014, when authorities identified three cases, including two deaths, the DHHS said.
EEE cases have also been reported in Massachusetts, Vermont, Wisconsin and New Jersey.
So far in 2024, at least five human cases of eastern equine encephalitis have been confirmed in the U.S. All five were the more severe (neuroinvasive) form of the disease, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At this time, the case count is on par with previous years. Only a handful of cases are reported in the U.S. annually — in 2019, there were 38, the highest in a decade, TODAY.com reported previously.
Most people infected with EEE do not develop symptoms. If symptoms do occur, these typically begin two to 10 days after being bitten by a mosquito and include fever, chills, muscle aches, and joint pain.
EEE can also cause severe neurologic disease. About 5% of people infected with the virus develop severe swelling of the brain or the spinal cord, Dr. Daniel Pastula, chief of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, previously told TODAY.com.
Symptoms of neuroinvasive EEE include a high fever, behavioral changes, vomiting, seizures and coma. About 30% of people with EEE will die, per the CDC. However, many survivors are left with lasting mental and physical problems.
Most cases are reported between July and September, with activity peaking around August. As the end of summer approaches and the U.S. enters peak mosquito season, the threat of mosquito-borne diseases looms.
“We believe there is an elevated risk for EEEV infections this year in New England given the positive mosquito samples identified,” New Hampshire state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said in a release.
In Massachusetts, several communities are on high alert due to a recent case of EEE in a man in his 80s. The case has prompted officials to spray for mosquitoes and some towns to enact voluntary curfews and nighttime park closures.
What’s more, the U.S. is also seeing increased activity of another mosquito-borne virus, West Nile. As of Aug. 27, there have been 289 cases of West Nile virus reported in 33 states, per CDC data.
There is no treatment or vaccine for eastern equine encephalitis. Preventing mosquito bites is the best way to protect yourself against EEE and other mosquito-borne diseases.
The CDC recommends people take the following steps:
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Use an EPA-registered insect repellent
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Wear pants and long sleeve shirts outdoors
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Limit activity outdoors from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes are most active
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
