41-Year-Old Reportedly Dies From Mosquito-Borne Illness, ‘Healthy To Brain Dead In One Week’

According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), an adult who contracted Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) passed away due to their illness.

The agency said the individual was “hospitalized due to severe central nervous system disease.”

“The last reported human EEEV infection in New Hampshire was in 2014, when DHHS identified three human infections, including two fatalities. In addition to the person with EEEV infection announced today, EEEV has been detected in one horse and seven mosquito batches in New Hampshire so far this summer. EEEV has also been detected in neighboring states, including in Massachusetts (one person, one horse, and 69 mosquito samples) and Vermont (one person and 47 mosquito samples),” the agency stated.

JUST IN – New Hampshire resident dies after testing positive for mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virushttps://t.co/AGTxjg6MNB

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) August 27, 2024

Per NBC News:

It’s the first EEE death reported in the United States so far this year. The individual had been “hospitalized due to severe central nervous system disease,” New Hampshire health officials said.

The case is the fifth this year. EEE cases have been reported in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and Wisconsin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The nation is in the midst of peak mosquito season, as the insects tend to be most active in August and September.

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“The risk will continue into the fall until there is a hard frost that kills” the mosquitoes, New Hampshire’s state epidemiologist, Dr. Benjamin Chan, said in a news release Tuesday.

The Massachusetts Public Health Department announced that insecticide sprays would begin this week following a case of EEE in a man in his 80s. Several Massachusetts towns said they will close public parks from dusk until dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.

“We believe there is an elevated risk for EEEV infections this year in New England given the positive mosquito samples identified,” Chan said.

Health officials in Oxford, Massachusetts, recommended a curfew to residents in hopes of limiting exposure to the illness.

The Board of Health in Oxford recommended that residents not stay outdoors past dusk to reduce the chances of catching EEE.

Town Recommends Curfew Due To Risk Of Mosquito-Borne Illness

"A 41 year-old man has died from EEE in New Hampshire. Steven Perry's family tells us he went from healthy to brain dead in one week. The virus is very rare and is usually spread by infected mosquitoes. Several Massachusetts towns are spraying for mosquitoes tonight," WBZ-TV news anchor David Wade said.

A 41 year-old man has died from EEE in New Hampshire. Steven Perry's family tells us he went from healthy to brain dead in one week.

The virus is very rare and is usually spread by infected mosquitoes. Several Massachusetts towns are spraying for mosquitoes tonight. pic.twitter.com/WEqf3AxMML

— David Wade (@davidwade) August 27, 2024

NH DHHS stated:

EEEV can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, and joint pain. EEEV can also cause severe neurological disease, such as inflammation of the brain and membranes around the spinal cord (i.e. encephalitis and meningitis). Approximately one-third of all people who develop encephalitis from EEEV die from their infection, and many others experience life-long physical or mental impacts. There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment for EEEV.

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Granite Staters can prevent EEEV infection by taking steps to prevent mosquito bites, including using effective mosquito repellents, wearing long sleeves and pants when outside, and avoiding outdoor activities in the early morning and evening hours when mosquitos are most active. It is also important for residents to remove standing water from around their homes to reduce mosquito populations and ensure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens without holes.

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