Eastern Equine Encephalitis Is Scary but Rare
A Massachusetts woman recently died of eastern equine encephalitis , and local health authorities are on alert. But EEE is extremely rare, and the main thing you need to know is that it is always helpful to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
What is EEE?
EEE is a mosquito-borne virus. Birds are its usual hosts, but sometimes a mosquito can transmit disease to a person or another animal, such as a horse. (The virus is named “equine” because it was first detected in horses.)
The virus can cause encephalitis or cerebral edema. This is fatal in about 30% of human cases.
How common is it?
This is good news: EEE is very rare. It is one of those diseases that is so rare that every time someone dies of it, it hits the news. But the CDC notes that five to ten cases are reported annually in the United States.
Who has this disease and what are the symptoms?
Because it is transmitted by mosquitoes, people who spend a lot of time outdoors are more likely to become infected. One strategy that health officials have used to control the spread of the disease is to close parks at dusk , because that’s when the mosquitoes that spread the EEE are most active.
Symptoms appear four to ten days after the bite. If you have systemic illness, symptoms may include fever, chills, malaise, and muscle and joint pain. If you have a more serious form of encephalitis, you may also develop other symptoms, which may include irritability, drowsiness, vomiting, seizures, and falling into a coma.
Many of these symptoms are common with other medical conditions, but if you are seriously ill, you should seek medical attention, whether you suspect it is EEE or not. EEE-induced brain swelling can be fatal within days, so don’t delay seeking help. There is no cure for EEE (antibiotics won’t help because it’s a virus), but good medical care can support a patient as his body fights the infection.
How to avoid EEE infection?
There is no vaccine against EEE, but since it is carried by mosquitoes, the main thing to think about if EEE is in your area is to avoid mosquito bites. This includes:
- Using effective mosquito repellents
- Staying indoors from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are most active
- Repair window screens, if necessary, so they don’t really get away from mosquitoes.
- Wear long sleeves and long pants
- Draining any standing water in the yard (mosquitoes breed in puddles of standing water)