An adult in New Hampshire has died from eastern equine encephalitis, a “rare but serious” disease also known as EEE. CBS It is the state’s first human case in a decade and comes on the heels of another case reported in Massachusetts that has residents and tourists on edge.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the victim was a resident of Hampstead, about 10 miles from the border in Lawrence, MA. Both states have reported a single case of EEE this summer.
The disease presents with flu-like symptoms, but can also have serious neurological side effects, such as inflammation in the brain or around the spinal cord, both of which can lead to long-term disability or even death. The Hampstead resident who died from EEE, whose identity has not been made public, developed a serious central nervous system disease prior to his death, according to medical experts. The Massachusetts victim was an 80-year-old man from Oxford and the first person in the state to have EEE since 2020.
New Hampshire provides a monitoring system to determine each community's risk of mosquito-borne infection. The latest map, which was rolled out Aug. 15, reported that the towns of Gilmanton, Kensington and Tilton are at the highest risk.
“In New Hampshire, mosquitoes transmit infections such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, West Nile Virus and Jamestown Canyon Virus,” state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said in a statement. “We believe there is a high risk for EEEV infections due to positive mosquito samples being identified in New England this year. The risk will continue into the fall until a hard freeze kills the mosquitoes. Everyone should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites while outdoors.”
