Eastern Equine Encephalitis: The Rare Mosquito-Borne Illness You Should Be Wary Of
The mystery surrounding mosquitoes remains worth looking into. These tiny insects hold the “deadliest animal in the world” title. They are responsible for the death of over 700,000 people annually. Mosquitoes are the classic example of “Looks can be deceiving”. Who would have thought that this little bug that makes a high-pitched buzzing noise can be so destructive? Well, there seems to be more to the mosquito than meets the eye. This post will explore just one of the diseases it spreads.
What Is It?
Eastern Equine Encephalitis. It is a mouthful of a name. Ever heard of it? Well, find out the basic details about it in the following post:
What is EEE?
The Eastern equine encephalitis virus is a rare disease spread by infected mosquitoes. It can cause inflammation of the brain (aka encephalitis.) The first recorded infection was in Massachusetts horses in 1831, and horses remain susceptible to it, which is where the “equine” part of the name comes from.
How is it transmitted?
EEE is spread when an infected mosquito bites a person — but even then, transmission is rare. About 95% of people bitten by an EEE-infected mosquito won’t get sick. What’s more, the disease is not spread directly from person to person. And it’s believed that once someone recovers from EEE, they have life-long immunity against reinfection. But the consequences for the 4% to 5% of people who do get sick from a bite are severe. They can suffer lifelong brain damage or even death if the infection impacts their brain or spinal cord. Read more at Market Watch…
You’re allowed to breathe a sigh of relief when you learn that contracting this virus is a rare occurrence. However, the serious consequences of an actual transmission will get anyone nervous.
Cause For Concern
Although the EEE virus has been rare in the past, cases have shot up over the past few years. The following post describes this in detail:
Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), an alphavirus in the Togaviridae family, is a rare arboviral infection in North America with only 121 human cases reported in the United States from 2003 to 2016 (Lindsey et al., 2018). However, EEEV is an emerging threat in the United States as thirty-six human cases of EEE, including fourteen fatalities, were reported in 2019, representing a significant increase in symptomatic human infection compared to previous years (Morens et al., 2019). Most humans infected with EEEV are asymptomatic or develop a non-specific febrile illness while a minority develop encephalitis, which is associated with high rates of hospitalization and mortality in 41% of cases (Goldfield et al., 1968; Lindsey et al., 2018). Read more at Frontiers in Microbiology…
The kind of immune response you demonstrate, symptomatic or asymptomatic, may be difficult to predict. That’s why preventing any situation that could make it possible to contract the virus will be worth your trouble.
EEE in 2020
You may want to write this off as another unnecessary scare. One with the objective of minting some more millions in the name of ‘healthcare’. However, you may want to look at this recent incidence of the virus in 2020.
The first human case of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus infection this year, is a female under the age of 18 who is a resident of Wisconsin’s Eau Claire County, reports the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Eau Claire County Health Department. Laboratory testing confirmed the infection.
As a result, DHS and Eau Claire County Health Department are reminding the public to protect themselves from mosquito bites by using mosquito repellent any time they are outside. Read more at Food Safety News…
Clearly, mosquitoes are the last thing you want to mess with. You never know what they could be carrying in their tiny bodies. A great place to start is to get a mosquito control plan that will help ensure you avoid all mosquito-borne illnesses this year.
Why take any chances with mosquitoes in your yard when Backyard Bug Patrol is here for you? Our expertise in mosquito control is the best in Maryland and Virginia. It’s our absolute pleasure to help keep the families in our community safe. Call us today for the best deal in town.