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What
is Eastern Equine Encephalitis?
How do
people become infected with EEE virus?
What causes EEE?
What type of illness
can occur?
How common is EEE?
Who is at risk
for developing EEE?
How
can people avoid infection with EEE virus?
What
is Eastern Equine Encephalitis?
Eastern
Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is a mosquito-borne viral disease.
As the name suggests, EEE occurs in the eastern half of the
US. Because of the high case fatality rate, it is regarded as
one of the more serious mosquito-borne diseases in the United
States.
How do
people become infected with EEE virus?
EEE
virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected
mosquito. Several species of mosquitoes can become infected
with EEE virus. The main EEE transmission cycle is between
birds and mosquitoes. Horses can also become infected with,
and die from, EEE virus infection.
What causes EEE?
EEE is
caused by a virus that is a member of the family
Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus. It is closely
related to Western and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses.
What type of illness
can occur?
Symptoms can
range from mild flu-like illness to encephalitis (inflammation
of the brain), coma, and death. Among those who are
recognized to have infection the death rate is 50-75%, making
it one of the most deadly mosquito-borne diseases in the US.
It is estimated that 30% of people who survive EEE will have
neurologic deficits.
How common is
EEE?
Human
cases occur relatively infrequently, largely because the cycle
of infection between mosquito and birds takes place in swamp
areas that humans tend to avoid. There are an average of
4 EEE cases in the US each year. The states with most
cases are Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
Who is at risk for
developing EEE?
Persons
over age 50 and younger than age 15 seem to be at greatest
risk for developing severe disease. Residents of and
visitors to areas with an established presence of the virus
are at increased risk, as are people who engage in outdoor
work and recreational activities.
How
can people avoid infection with EEE virus?
Though a
vaccine is available to protect horses, there is no licensed
vaccine for human use.
To avoid
infection people should avoid mosquito bites by employing
personal and household protection measures, such as using
insect repellent containing DEET, wearing protective clothing,
taking precautions from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are most
likely to bite, and controlling standing water that can
provide mosquito breeding sites.
For more
information call (602) 364-3289 |
