Health officials in the northeastern United States are expressing concern after an uptick in the mosquito-borne virus often called "EEE."
What's happening?
According to Stateline, eastern equine encephalitis — or triple-E — has spread in recent months. It is a rare illness that cannot be transmitted between humans directly but is spread via infected mosquitoes.
According to the report, eight states have seen at least one case of the virus in humans, with 16 total human cases in the United States, while other states have reported cases in animals as well. For example, in New York alone, 20 cases of triple-E were reported in horses across multiple counties, which is more than the state has ever had.
"Horses, in many ways, can act as sentinels for us," Bryon Backenson, the director of New York State's Department of Health's Bureau of Communicable Disease Control, said. "We can oftentimes use horses as an indication that triple-E may be in a particular area at a particular time. If a horse tests positive, we know that there are mammal-biting mosquitoes that are out there and active."
Why is EEE spreading important?
While triple-E is still rare, it is an incredibly dangerous disease. Its symptoms include headache, vomiting, fever, and drowsiness. It can also cause encephalitis, a dangerous inflammation of the brain. Most humans who get it don't experience serious symptoms or any symptoms at all.
What makes the disease even scarier is that one out of every three humans who become seriously ill from it dies. Of the people who survive severe cases, half have long-term cognitive and physical effects.
An upswing in mosquito-borne illness is often a sign of a changing climate. As the weather gets warmer, mosquitoes and other insects are active for longer periods during the year, allowing them to spread more disease. There have been new cases of diseases like West Nile in New York, while in California, a species of mosquito associated with the spread of yellow fever has been spotted.
"Climate is one of many factors that can impact vector-borne diseases," said Dr. Erin Staples, a physician and medical epidemiologist with the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Illnesses. "Changes in climate lead to changes in the environment, which can change where and how often vector-borne diseases, like EEE and West Nile, occur."
What's being done about EEE?
In response to the uptick in triple-E, many states, including New York and New Hampshire, have renewed spraying for mosquitoes to help curb the spread of the disease. Officials also encourage people to wear long sleeves and long pants outdoors and to avoid being outside at dawn or dusk when the insects are most active. They also ask people to drain standing water wherever possible, so that mosquitoes have fewer places to lay eggs.
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On a larger scale, reducing planet-warming gases and trying to cool our swiftly heating planet is the surest way to slow the spread of diseases like triple-E, West Nile, and Zika, by shortening the active periods and breeding windows of mosquitoes.
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