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Connecticut health officials warn Southeastern region state residents after potentially fatal mosquito-borne equine encephalitis virus (EEE) was first detected this year .
Mosquitoes trapped in the Pachaug State Forest in Voluntown on September 23 tested positive for EEE, according to the Department of Public Health. The state urges residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites and mosquito-borne illnesses.
“We encourage residents of Southeast Connecticut to take simple steps such as wearing mosquito repellent and covering bare skin, especially at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active,” the said. public health department commissioner Manisha Juthani in a statement.
Tests from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station showed that the infected mosquitoes were both biting species of birds and mammals, known as culiseta melanura and ochlerotatus canadensis. Mosquitoes can only contract the virus by feeding on infected birds.
“The EEE virus is unpredictable and varies from year to year, but we detect the virus in mosquitoes for most years,” said Philip M. Armstrong, virologist / medical entomologist at USA TODAY. “Major outbreaks are less common and occur about once every 5 years in Connecticut. The last outbreak occurred in 2019 and involved 4 human cases (3 deaths) and 6 horse cases in eastern Connecticut. “
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says symptoms include fever, chills, and discomfort and can last one to two weeks. But the symptoms can get worse, causing headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and even coma.
EEE is rare but fatal in 25-50% of cases and leaves others with lasting health problems. Patients can die two to 10 days after symptoms start, and people over 50 or under 15 are at greater risk of developing serious illness once infected, according to the CDC.
The largest increase in EEE cases over the past decade occurred in 2019, with 38 confirmed cases – most on the East Coast and in the Midwest. Nineteen people died from the virus that year, according to the CDC.
There is no vaccine against EEE virus infection or specific antiviral therapy.
Although there has been no update on the number of cases this year, on September 23, a resident of Pine Hill, New Jersey, tested positive for EEA. According to the Camden County website, the patient remains in the hospital.
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To avoid EEE, health officials suggest these steps:
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Minimize the time spent outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
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Make sure the screens on doors and windows fit properly.
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Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when you are outside for long periods of time or when mosquitoes are more active. Clothing should be light in color and made of tightly woven materials.
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Use a mosquito net when sleeping outside or in a structure without a mosquito net and to protect babies when they are outside.
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Consider using mosquito repellent, according to directions, when necessary to be outdoors.
Follow Keira Wingate on Twitter: @KeiraRenee
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Connecticut Mosquitoes Test Positive for Deadly EEA Virus
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