US Records First EEE Virus Death Of 2024 In New Hampshire Resident

The AP (8/28) reports, “A New Hampshire resident infected with the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus has died, state health authorities said,” marking the country’s first EEE-related death of the year. The resident “had been hospitalized due to severe central nervous system symptoms” and their infection “was the first in the state in a decade, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday.” 2024 EEE infections in humans have thus far “been confirmed in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and Vermont, as well as New Hampshire, according to the CDC,” while the New Hampshire health department “said the virus has also been detected in one horse and several mosquito batches” in the state this summer. Health authorities in states prone to mosquito-borne infections “encourage people to take precautions, preventing mosquito bites by using repellent, wearing long sleeves and pants, and avoiding outdoor activity in the early morning and evening when mosquitoes are most active.”