Health
New York resident dies from mosquito-borne disease as experts warn of widening risk
New York has reported the state’s first death from Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a disease that spreads through bites from mosquitoes.
The patient was the first person to contract EEE in New York since 2015, according to a press release issued by the state on Monday.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority,” Governor Hochul said in a statement.
WHAT IS EEE, THE MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASE THAT KILLED A NEW HAMPSHIRE MAN?
“Following the first confirmed human case of EEE, my administration took statewide action to help protect communities – and with today’s declaration, we’re making more state resources available to local departments to support their public health response.”
New York has reported the state’s first death from Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a disease that spreads through bites from mosquitoes. (iStock)
“We’ve been informed this patient has passed away from EEE; we extend our sympathies and our hearts go out to their family.”
State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald has declared EEE an imminent threat to public health, which will make more resources available for prevention measures, such as spraying to reduce mosquitoes.
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The state has announced plans to expand access to insect repellent in parks and campgrounds, and is encouraging New York residents to take steps to protect against mosquito-borne illness.
What is EEE?
Eastern equine encephalitis is caused by a virus that is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which describes EEE as a “rare but serious disease.”
Only a few cases are reported in the U.S. each year, most in the Eastern or Gulf Coast states, the agency states on its website.
Some Northeastern towns have enacted voluntary lockdowns due to the rise in EEE cases. (iStock)
Humans and other animals that contract the virus are considered “dead-end hosts,” the CDC states, which means they can’t spread it to mosquitoes that bite them.
“EEE is only spread to humans via a mosquito bite, and cannot be transmitted directly by other humans or horses,” Dr. Kurt Vandock, PhD, a public health expert and VP of strategic growth for Mosquito Squad, told Fox News Digital.
The patient was the first person to contract EEE in New York since 2015.
Common symptoms of EEE include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, stiff neck, seizures, behavioral changes and drowsiness.
These usually appear five to 10 days after being bitten.
“Most people have no symptoms; others get only a mild, flu-like illness with fever, headache and sore throat,” Vandock said.
Using insect repellents that contain DEET can help to protect against mosquito bites, experts say. (iStock)
“For people with an infection of the central nervous system, a sudden fever (103º to 106º), severe headache and stiff neck can be followed quickly by seizures and coma.”
The disease can be deadly, resulting in fatalities for 30% of infected people. It can also lead to chronic neurological deficiencies, per the CDC.
ANTHONY FAUCI’S WEST NILE VIRUS DIAGNOSIS: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASE
“The best way to confirm any illness is with an approved and accurate test administered by a medical professional,” said Vandock.
“Eastern equine encephalitis is a serious disease with symptoms occurring fast,” he warned.
“If you live in an area with noted EEE activity and have flu-like symptoms after being bitten by a mosquito, you should seek medical care immediately.”
Concerns of wider infection
In addition to New York, other states that have reported human EEE cases include Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and New Hampshire.
“Anytime life is put at risk by vector-borne disease, we are concerned,” Vandock said.
“As viral loads increase and transmission rates follow this trend, it is a sign that interventions are necessary to help reduce the risk of transmission,” he went on.
Common symptoms of EEE include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, stiff neck, seizures, behavioral changes and drowsiness. (iStock)
“One case of any vector-borne disease is one too many.”
As far as why cases have been more prevalent in northeastern states, Vandock said there’s no simple answer.
“Conducive weather patterns, high population density, the heavy presence of the primary vector and seasonality — coinciding with increased outdoor activity — can create the perfect storm for rapid transmission,” he said.
“One case of any vector-borne disease is one too many.”
The black-tailed mosquito (Culiseta melanura), the primary vector of EEE, can be found in large numbers in the Northeastern United States, according to Vandock.
“It is known to feed mainly on birds, but does not typically feed on humans,” he said. “As a result, the transmission of EEE to humans and horses is generally thought to occur via ‘bridge vectors,’ which contract the virus from infected birds and can then pass the virus on to other hosts.”
The mosquitoes that act as “bridge vectors” can be found in the Northeast areas where transmission is occurring, the expert noted.
The risk of contracting the EEE virus is highest during the summer months — especially toward the end of summer, when people go back outdoors as temperatures cool, Vandock said.
The mosquitoes that act as “bridge vectors” can be found in the Northeast areas where transmission is occurring, an expert noted. (iStock)
“Anyone who lives or works close to wetlands and swamps is also at an increased risk,” he said.
The Midwest saw a similar outbreak of EEE in 2019 in Michigan, Vandock noted, as many schools canceled after-school activities after numerous fatalities from the disease.
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“Current trends suggest that with increasing globalization, population densities, ranges of competent hosts and a favorable climate, the occurrence of EEE and other vector-borne diseases will increase,” he added.
Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, said he is not concerned by the increase in cases.
“It is still a very slight uptick, and it is confined to mosquito transmission,” he told Fox News Digital, adding that he only anticipates “sparse cases” in other parts of the country.
Treatment and prevention
There is currently no vaccine for Eastern equine encephalitis, and supportive care is the only means of treating symptoms.
A mosquito control inspector sprays pesticide to kill mosquitos amid a Zika virus outbreak in Miami, Florida, in 2016. (Getty Images)
Educating the public about the risk, encouraging mosquito repellent use, and spraying to control the mosquito population are the best ways to prevent infection, according to experts.
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The state of New York issued the following recommendations for prevention.
- Wear long sleeves, pants and socks when outdoors during periods of high mosquito activity, such as dusk or dawn.
- Use insect repellents that contain DEET.
- Ensure that there are screens in all windows and doors.
- Eliminate standing water in outdoor areas where mosquitoes tend to breed.
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In a dramatic turn of events that’s captured the attention of animal lovers worldwide, Punch — the young macaque at a zoo in Japan famous for his inseparable bond with a stuffed orangutan toy — has reached a major milestone in his journey toward social integration.
On Thursday, visitors and staff at the Ichikawa Zoological and Botanical Garden witnessed a breakthrough: Punch was seen cuddling with and hitching a ride on the back of a fellow macaque.
Punch’s story began with hardship. He was abandoned by his mother shortly after his birth in July 2025 — and to ensure his survival, zookeepers stepped in to hand-rear the primate.
On Jan. 19, 2026, the zoo officially began the process of reintegrating Punch into the “monkey mountain” enclosure.
The transition was initially fraught with tension.
Punch’s story began with hardship when he was abandoned by his mother shortly after he was born. To help him, zookeepers gave him a stuffed toy that he began dragging around everywhere he went. (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
As a hand-reared infant, Punch was bullied and ignored by the established group of monkeys.
He was often seen huddled alone with his orange plush companion while the rest of the troop interacted.
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In an official statement released Feb. 27, the Ichikawa Zoological and Botanical Garden detailed the meticulous care behind this process.
Previous viral videos showed Punch bullied by the rest of the troop, running to his plushy toy for comfort. (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“From an animal welfare perspective, our primary goal is to reintegrate Punch with the troop,” the zoo said.
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The strategy involved nursing Punch within the enclosure, so the troop could recognize him as one of their own, and pairing him with a gentle young female macaque prior to his full release to build his confidence.
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The latest footage, captured by X user @tate_gf, suggested the zoo’s patience is paying off.
The video shows Punch seeking physical contact not from his toy, but from another monkey — eventually climbing onto its back for a vital social behavior for young macaques: the “piggyback ride.”
The zoo’s strategy appears to be paying off: Punch, shown at far left, was recently seen riding on the back of a fellow macaque. (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
While Punch still carries his stuffed toy for comfort during moments of perceived danger, the zoo remains optimistic about his progress.
The organization cited the successful 2009 case of Otome, another hand-reared macaque who eventually outgrew her stuffed toy, successfully integrated — and went on to raise four offspring of her own.
The zoo has had crowds coming to see Punch, with hundreds of people lining up to get inside to see the young star, according to reports.
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“I’m hoping Punch has a good life like everybody else does, and think he’s a cute little guy,” one person commented online.
“Such a precious baby,” another person wrote.
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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Artificial intelligence has been touted as a boon to healthcare, but a new study has revealed its potential shortcomings when it comes to giving medical advice.
In January, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, the medical-focused version of the popular chatbot tool.
The company introduced the tool as “a dedicated experience that securely brings your health information and ChatGPT’s intelligence together, to help you feel more informed, prepared and confident navigating your health.”
But researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that the tool failed to recommend emergency care for a “significant number” of serious medical cases.
The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine on Feb. 23, aimed to explore how ChatGPT Health — which is reported to have about 40 million users daily — handles situations where people are asking whether to seek emergency care.
Artificial intelligence has been touted as a boon to healthcare, but a new study has revealed its potential shortcomings when it comes to giving medical advice. (iStock)
“Right now, no independent body evaluates these products before they reach the public,” lead author Ashwin Ramaswamy, M.D., instructor of urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, told Fox News Digital.
“We wouldn’t accept that for a medication or a medical device, and we shouldn’t accept it for a product that tens of millions of people are using to make health decisions.”
Emergency scenarios
The team created 60 clinical scenarios across 21 medical specialties, ranging from minor conditions to true medical emergencies.
Three independent physicians then assigned an appropriate level of urgency for each case, based on published clinical practice guidelines in 56 medical societies.
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The researchers conducted 960 interactions with ChatGPT Health to see how the tool responded, taking into account gender, race, barriers to care and “social dynamics.”
While “clear-cut emergencies” — such as stroke or severe allergy — were generally handled well, the researchers found that the tool “under-triaged” many urgent medical issues.
The team created 60 clinical scenarios across 21 medical specialties, ranging from minor conditions to true medical emergencies. (iStock)
For example, in one asthma scenario, the system acknowledged that the patient was showing early signs of respiratory failure — but still recommended waiting instead of seeking emergency care.
“ChatGPT Health performs well in medium-severity cases, but fails at both ends of the spectrum — the cases where getting it right matters most,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital. “It under-triaged over half of genuine emergencies and over-triaged roughly two-thirds of mild cases that clinical guidelines say should be managed at home.”
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Under-triage can be life-threatening, the doctor noted, while over-triage can overwhelm emergency departments and delay care for those in real need.
Researchers also identified inconsistencies in suicide risk alerts. In some cases, it directed users to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in lower-risk scenarios, and in others, it failed to offer that recommendation even when a person discussed suicidal ideations.
“ChatGPT Health performs well in medium-severity cases, but fails at both ends of the spectrum.”
“The suicide guardrail failure was the most alarming,” study co-author Girish N. Nadkarni, M.D., chief AI officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, told Fox News Digital.
ChatGPT Health is designed to show a crisis intervention banner when someone describes thoughts of self-harm, the researcher noted.
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, the medical-focused version of the popular chatbot tool, in January 2026. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We tested it with a 27-year-old patient who said he’d been thinking about taking a lot of pills,” Nadkarni said. “When he described his symptoms alone, the banner appeared 100% of the time. Then we added normal lab results — same patient, same words, same severity — and the banner vanished.”
“A safety feature that works perfectly in one context and completely fails in a nearly identical context … is a fundamental safety problem.”
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The researchers were also surprised by the social influence aspect.
“When a family member in the scenario said ‘it’s nothing serious’ — which happens all the time in real life — the system became nearly 12 times more likely to downplay the patient’s symptoms,” Nadkarni said. “Everyone has a spouse or parent who tells them they’re overreacting. The AI shouldn’t be agreeing with them during a potential emergency.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Open AI, creator of ChatGPT, requesting comment.
Physicians react
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, called the new study “important.”
“It underlines the principle that while large language models can triage clear-cut emergencies, they have much more trouble with nuanced situations,” Siegel, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
ChatGPT and other LLMs can be helpful tools, a doctor said, but they “should not be used to give medical direction.” (iStock)
“This is where doctors and clinical judgment come in — knowing the nuances of a patient’s history and how they report symptoms and their approach to health.”
ChatGPT and other LLMs can be helpful tools, Siegel said, but they “should not be used to give medical direction.”
“Machine learning and continued input of data can help, but will never compensate for the essential problem – human judgment is needed to decide whether something is a true emergency or not.”
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Dr. Harvey Castro, an emergency physician and AI expert in Texas, echoed the importance of the study, calling it “exactly the kind of independent safety evaluation we need.”
“Innovation moves fast. Oversight has to move just as fast,” Castro, who also did not work on the study, told Fox News Digital. “In healthcare, the most dangerous mistakes happen at the extremes, when something looks mild but is actually catastrophic. That’s where clinical judgment matters most, and where AI must be stress-tested.”
Study limitations
The researchers acknowledged some potential limitations in the study design.
“We used physician-written clinical scenarios rather than real patient conversations, and we tested at a single point in time — these systems update frequently, so performance may change,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital.
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Additionally, most of the missed emergencies happened in situations where the danger depended on how the condition was changing over time. It’s not clear whether the same problem would happen with acute medical emergencies.
Because the system had to choose just one fixed urgency category, the test may not reflect the more nuanced advice it might give in a back-and-forth conversation, the researchers noted.
ChatGPT Health is designed to show a crisis intervention banner when someone describes thoughts of self-harm. (iStock)
Also, the study wasn’t large enough to confidently detect small differences in how recommendations might vary by race or gender.
“We need continuous auditing, not one-time studies,” Castro noted. “These systems update frequently, so evaluation must be ongoing.”
‘Don’t wait’
The researchers emphasized the importance of seeking immediate care for serious issues.
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“If something feels seriously wrong — chest pain, difficulty breathing, a severe allergic reaction, thoughts of self-harm — go to the emergency department or call 988,” Ramaswamy advised. “Don’t wait for an AI to tell you it’s OK.”
The researchers noted that they support the use of AI to improve healthcare access, and that they didn’t conduct the study to “tear down the technology.”
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“These tools can be genuinely useful for the right things — understanding a diagnosis you’ve already received, looking up what your medications do and their side effects, or getting answers to questions that didn’t get fully addressed in a short doctor’s visit,” Ramaswamy said.
“That’s a very different use case from deciding whether you need emergency care. Treat them as a complement to your doctor, not a replacement.”
“This study doesn’t mean we abandon AI in healthcare.”
Castro agreed that the benefits of AI health tools should be weighed against the risks.
“AI health tools can increase access, reduce unnecessary visits and empower patients with information,” he said. “They are not inherently unsafe, but they are not yet substitutes for clinical judgment.”
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“This study doesn’t mean we abandon AI in healthcare,” he went on. “It means we mature it. Independent testing and stronger guardrails will determine whether AI becomes a safety net or a liability.”
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