New York resident dies of rare mosquito-borne virus known as eastern equine encephalitis

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A person has died in New York state from eastern equine encephalitis, prompting Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare the rare mosquito-borne illness an imminent threat to public health.

The death that was reported Monday in Ulster County is apparently the second death from the disease in the United States this year after a New Hampshire resident infected with the eastern equine encephalitis virus died last month.

Ten human cases of the disease, also known as EEE, had been reported nationwide as of Sept. 17, before the New York case was confirmed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Ulster County death was the first from the disease in New York state since 2015. No details about the person who became infected and died have been released.

Hochul said the public health declaration will free up state resources to help local health departments combat EEE.

“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,” the governor said in a news release.

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The CDC says only a few cases of EEE are reported in the U.S. each year, mostly in the eastern and Gulf Coast states. There were just seven cases nationally last year but more than 30 in 2019, a historically bad year.

There are no vaccines or treatments for EEE, and about 30% of people who become infected die. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures.