Health officials in New Hampshire announced that a New Hampshire resident has died after testing positive for the mosquito-borne disease Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday that the Hampstead resident's infection is the state's first case in 10 years.
The resident, identified only as an adult, had been hospitalized with severe central nervous system symptoms, police said.
About a third of people who develop viral encephalitis die from the infection, and those who survive can suffer lifelong mental and physical disabilities.
There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are typically about 11 cases of eastern equine encephalitis in the United States each year.
In 2014, three people in New Hampshire were infected with the virus, two of whom died.
The rare but serious virus was also detected in a horse and a few mosquitoes in New Hampshire this summer, according to the health department.
The virus has also been appearing in neighboring states this summer, with human cases reported in Massachusetts and Vermont, according to the New Hampshire Department of Health.
The virus can cause flu-like symptoms and can also cause a serious neurological illness involving inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord.
The virus has also been appearing in neighboring states this summer, with human cases reported in Massachusetts and Vermont, according to the New Hampshire Department of Health.
The virus can cause flu-like symptoms and can also cause a serious neurological illness involving inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord.
“Based on the positive mosquito samples we have identified, we believe there is an increased risk of EEEV transmission in New England this year. The risk will continue until hard frosts in the fall kill off mosquitoes, and everyone should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites when outdoors,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chang.
