Second EEE death confirmed in N.H.

Public health officials in New Hampshire recently confirmed that a second resident of the state died after testing positive for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).

The person was only publicly identified as an adult from Danville. They were hospitalized and later died due to an EEE infection, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said. 

This is the fifth confirmed case of EEE in New Hampshire this year, and the second fatal one. All five people contracted the virus in August, the spokesperson said. 

The family of 41-year-old Steven Perry, a Hampstead resident, identified him as the first person to die from EEE in New Hampshire in late August. He was hospitalized with a “severe central nervous system disease” before dying. 

EEE, which is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, is very rare. But cases spiked in New Hampshire and Massachusetts late this summer. Each state recorded four confirmed cases. 

There were just 13 confirmed cases throughout the entire country this year as of Oct. 1, according to the CDC. The fifth New Hampshire case would bring the national total up to 14. No other state besides New Hampshire and Massachusetts saw more than one confirmed case, as of the beginning of this month.  

As the weather cools and mosquito activity decreases, so does the risk of EEE. Some risk does still exist in southern New Hampshire. 

“It’s important for New Hampshire residents and visitors to remember that as long as mosquitos are out and biting, some risk remains,” the spokesperson said in a statement. 

In Massachusetts, moderate EEE risk still exists in parts of the central and eastern areas of the state. Officials confirmed that an Acton man died in early September from EEE. The family of Basil Chigas, 76, questioned the state’s announcing practices in the wake of his death. 

About 30% of people who develop severe EEE die, and many survivors have to live with ongoing neurologic problems. Severe EEE can lead to neurologic diseases like encephalitis or meningitis, which are very dangerous. There are no vaccines to prevent EEE. Most people that catch EEE do not exhibit any symptoms. Those that do can suffer from fevers, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, and drowsiness. 

The best way to avoid EEE is to wear insect repellent and long clothing, avoid outdoor activities from dusk to dawn, and get rid of standing water where mosquitoes can breed.