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Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Found, What You Need To Know

According to the Urban Dictionary, "EEE" is something that you may say when you are excited, like when you see actor Orlando Bloom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy or a mosquito or both at the same time. It also stands for eastern equine encephalitis. The Florida Department of Health in Orange County has issued a warning about the latter EEE and not Orlando Bloom. Several chickens in the state have tested positive for EEE virus infections.

Even if you are not chicken or a chicken, this news could still affect you. Typically, the EEE virus typically circulates back and forth between Culiseta melanura mosquitoes and birds, because Culiseta melanura mosquitoes don't tend to feed on…

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People in North America first identified the virus when it started killing horses, hence the name.

Articles of Interest

A deadly mosquito-borne illness kills a third of the people it infects, and it's spreading. Here's what we know about the states affected.

EEE, or "triple E," is a rare but life-threatening virus that can wreak havoc in livestock and cause permanent brain damage in people, resulting in seizures, mental impairment, and even personality changes in survivors of the disease. EEE is incurable, but its symptoms can be successfully treated if it's caught before it spreads to the brain.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis: Ontario

Horses cannot transmit the virus to people (or other animals). We get the virus the same way horses do, from the bite of an infected mosquito. Surveillance in horse lets us know about viral activity in the area (i.e. the horses can act like disease sentinels for people). Regardless, the risk of EEE, West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne pathogens means we should all take basic precautions to reduce mosquito exposure, such as the use of DEET repelants, avoiding high risk areas at dusk and dawn (e.g. swampy areas) and removing standing water where mosquitoes breed whenever possible.

Here's What to Know About the Mosquito-Borne Disease

Because it bears repeating: EEE is rare, and only about 4-5% of human EEEV infections result in EEE. Per the CDC, about seven human cases of EEE are reported each year—and about 30 percent of people who contract EEE die, while many who survive have lasting neurological problems.

Three Americans Have Died After Contracting Rare Brain-Infecting Virus Spread by Mosquitoes

EEE is certainly one of the scarier diseases spread by mosquitoes. Most people who are infected with the virus never develop any serious symptoms. But in a small percentage of people, it manages to reach the nervous system, where it causes the brain swelling that gives the virus its name. This form of the disease is especially deadly, with a 33 percent fatality rate.

Twenty years of surveillance for Eastern equine encephalitis virus in mosquitoes in New York State from 1993 to 2012.

The year 1971 was the first time in New York State (NYS) that Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) was identified in mosquitoes, in Culiseta melanura and Culiseta morsitans. At that time, state and county health departments began surveillance for EEEV in mosquitoes.

Resources

Vector Disease Control International

Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a zoonotic alphavirus and arbovirus, and was first recognized in horses in 1831 in Massachusetts. The first confirmed human cases were identified in New England in 1938. EEEV is present today in North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

CDC

EEE virus is a rare cause of brain infections (encephalitis). Only a few cases are reported in the United States each year. Most occur in eastern or Gulf Coast states. Approximately 30% of people with EEE die and many survivors have ongoing neurologic problems.