Second person in CT dies of EEE

The state Department of Public Health is reporting that a second person in the state has died as a result of Eastern Equine Encephalitis this year.

DPH spokesman Av Harris confirmed Tuesday afternoon that a person from Old Lyme had died from EEE. Last week, the state announced that someone from East Lyme had died from the illness. It was the first death from EEE since 2013.

It has been a particularly active season for EEE in the Northeastern United States. In addition to the two deaths in Connecticut, there have been human illnesses and death in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

As of Tuesday, 101 mosquitoes in Connecticut have tested postive for EEE since June, according to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. By comparison, only 78 have tested positive for West Nile Virus, which is usually the most worrisome mosquito-borne illness in the state.

DPH said it takes four to 10 days after the bite from an infected mosquito for a person to develop symptoms of EEE. Severe cases of the infection lead to an inflammation of the brain. About one-third of patients who develop EEE die from it. There is no specific treatment for EEE.

from News https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Second-person-in-CT-dies-of-EEE-14464784.php