PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island has recorded its first case this year of Eastern equine encephalitis, the mosquito-borne disease known as EEE, public health officials announced Wednesday.
The virus was detected in a person from Providence County who is in their 70s, marking the first emergence of the potentially fatal disease in the Ocean State since 2019, the state Department of Health said in a statement.
Since 1983, the state has documented 11 cases.
Though rare, EEE has been detected throughout New England this season. A fourth case was confirmed Monday in Massachusetts, and a 41-year-old New Hampshire man became the state’s first fatal case in a decade.
Rhode Island officials said 30 percent of people with EEE die as a result of contracting the virus, while those who survive face neurological problems.
Symptoms of EEE include “fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, and drowsiness,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are no vaccines or treatments available for EEE.
Additionally, the Department of Health on Wednesday said a Newport County resident in their 60s is believed to have contracted the second probable human case of West Nile Virus this year.
The first case, recorded in a person from Providence County in their 60s, was announced last month and has since been confirmed through testing by the CDC, the officials said.
“We are seeing more human cases of mosquito-borne disease in Rhode Island and in bordering communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut,” Dr. Jerome Larkin, director of health, said in a statement. “This underscores how important it is that all Rhode Islanders need to continue protecting themselves from getting mosquito bites.”
This breaking news story will be updated.
Get Rhode Map
A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at [email protected].
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66e1ed2eff234ff49f0f38be65625991&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bostonglobe.com%2F2024%2F09%2F11%2Fmetro%2Frhode-island-first-case-eee-mosquito%2F&c=17707248958690983788&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-11 07:57:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
