NEW YORK, Sept 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The first person to be diagnosed with Eastern equine encephalitis in New York in nearly a decade has died, prompting Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare the rare, mosquito-borne viral illness an imminent public health threat on Monday.
She announced the death, in Ulster County, in a news release outlining the steps that state officials are taking to reduce New Yorkers’ risk of exposure to the disease, also known as EEE.
The death in New York appears to be the second linked to EEE this year in the United States. The first involved a 41-year-old New Hampshire man who died in August. Human cases of the disease have also been reported this year in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ten human cases of EEE had been reported nationwide as of Sept. 17, before the New York case was confirmed, according to the C.D.C.
New York officials have not provided details about the Ulster County resident, who was confirmed as having the illness on Sept. 20. The infection was the first human case of EEE in New York since 2015.
To combat the disease’s spread, Hochul said, the state’s parks agency will make mosquito repellent available to visitors at its offices, visitor centers and campgrounds; post signs at parks and historic sites to raise awareness about EEE; and consult with local health departments about limiting park hours and camping availability during times of peak mosquito activity.
The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation will post similar signs at popular trailheads and on other public lands, and several agencies will use social media to alert the public to the threat and offer guidance on how to avoid mosquito bites.
Dr. James McDonald, the state health commissioner, noted in the news release that while mosquitoes infected with EEE are typically found in two to three of New York’s 62 counties each year, such mosquitoes had been found this year in 15 counties, including Suffolk County on Long Island.
“Eastern equine encephalitis is different this year,” he said, adding: “Mosquitoes, once a nuisance, are now a threat. I urge all New Yorkers to prevent mosquito bites by using insect repellents, wearing long-sleeved clothing and removing free-standing water near their homes.”
Mosquitoes will continue to be prevalent until the weather turns cold enough for standing water, where the insects breed, to freeze. That is unlikely to occur until mid-October in many parts of New York.
There is no vaccine for EEE, nor is there a cure. Many people who are bitten by an infected mosquito never develop symptoms, which can include headache, fever, chills and vomiting. People of all ages are susceptible to infection, but those over 50 and under 15 are at a high risk of acquiring the virus, according to health officials.
Severe cases can lead to seizures, coma and encephalitis, or swelling of the brain. Around a third of cases are fatal; more than half result in long-term neurological complications.
Eastern equine encephalitis is considered endemic in North America, meaning infections occur persistently. In 2019, there were 38 recorded cases and 12 deaths in the United States — the largest outbreak of the virus in more than 50 years. None of the cases were in New York. According to C.D.C. data, slightly more than nine infections on average were recorded each year in the country from 2003 to 2023.
In 2015, the last time human EEE infections were recorded in New York, three people in the northern part of the state were infected. Two died, according to local news reports. According to the state Health Department, seven people in New York have died from EEE since 1971.
The virus is spread only by bites from infected mosquitoes. Humans cannot spread it to one another, nor can they be infected by sick animals. — NNN-AGENCIES
