NY resident tests positive for potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus EEE

A New York state resident tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis – the first human case of the mosquito-borne virus in nearly a decade.The Ulster County resident is hospitalized and state health officials said the county Department of Health is investigating the case.The last time there was a human case of eastern equine encephalitis in New York state was 2015.A least 10 cases of EEE were confirmed across the United States this year, including a deadly case in New Hampshire.The virus was identified in several horses in New York state, including in Orange, Ulster, Saint Lawrence, Madison, Oneida, Cayuga, Wayne and Washington counties, the state Department of Health said in August.Eastern equine encephalitis is a rare but serious disease spread to humans by infected mosquitoes, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control.Although most people infected with the virus will not experience symptoms, health experts warn that early signs of severe cases include headache, high fever, chills and vomiting.About 30% of eastern equine encephalitis cases are deadly, and those who recover from the disease may have neurological impairment.One New Hampshire dad, Joe Casey, 54, was left in the ICU on a ventilator after he tested positive for three mosquito-borne illnesses, his sister-in-law told a local news outlet.“He was positive for [eastern equine encephalitis], for West Nile and St.Louis encephalitis, but the CDC, the infectious disease doctors, they don’t know which one is making him this sick,” she said.“He just got bit by a mosquito and it could happen to anybody.”There is no vaccine for EEE.State health officials urged New Yorkers to protect themselves from mosquito bites by wearing long sleeves and pants when outdoors, using insect repellents and putting screens in windows and doors.Residents were also urged to get rid of any standing water around their yards and homes, where mosquitos can breed.The state Department of Health did not immediatel...