The first case of eastern equine encephalitis confirmed in Connecticut, according to health officials

by



[ad_1]

The first case of equine encephalitis in the East has been confirmed in Connecticut, while the virus continues to spread throughout North America.

The mosquito-borne virus was detected in an adult in East Lyme, who became ill in August, Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell said Monday. The patient remains hospitalized, according to the release.

The rare virus can cause inflammation of the brain and is potentially fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one-third of the patients who die from it die, and many of those who survive end up with mild to severe brain damage.

"EEE is a rare but serious and life-threatening disease that can affect people of all ages," Mitchell said in a statement, calling on residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites by using an insect repellent and covering their skin with clothing. .

PHOTO: Eastern equine encephalitis virus infecting the salivary gland of a mosquito was stained in red on this electron microscope image from 1968.Fred Murphy and Sylvia Whitfield / CDC
Eastern equine encephalitis virus infecting the salivary gland of a mosquito was stained red on this electron microscope image from 1968.

According to health officials, seven EEE cases were recorded in Massachusetts and three in Michigan, including one deceased patient.

In July, health officials from Orange County, Florida, reported an increase in the virus among sentinel chickens, which show the presence of viruses such as EEE and West Nile but do not develop the symptoms that they are associated.

PHOTO: A laboratory assistant places a mosquito in a test tube for screening for diseases such as West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis, and Eastern equine encephalitis, June 20, 2003. Wheeling, Ill.Tim Boyle / Getty Images, DOSSIER
A laboratory assistant places a mosquito in a test tube for diseases such as West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis and Eastern equine encephalitis, June 20, 2003, in Wheeling, ill.

The symptoms of EEE begin about four to 10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito and include the sudden onset of headaches, high fever, chills, and vomiting that could subsequently escalate in disorientation, seizures and coma, according to the CDC.

Generally, about five to ten EEE cases are reported in the United States each year, according to the CDC.

[ad_2]

Source link