What is the EEE virus?

What is the EEE virus?

Eastern equine encephalitis virus is transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. It can cause serious illness in people as well as horses, donkeys, emus and ostriches. Although uncommon in people, EEE is one of the most severe mosquito-transmitted diseases in both horses and humans in the United States.

Where is EEE virus from?

EEEV is maintained through a natural cycle between the Culiseta melanura mosquitoes and birds. The spread of EEEV to mammals (including humans and horses) occurs through the bite of certain infected mosquito species (i.e. Aedes, Coquillettidia, and Culex) that feed on both birds and mammals.

How did Triple E start?

EEE was first recognized in Massachusetts, United States, in 1831, when 75 horses died mysteriously of viral encephalitis. Epizootics in horses have continued to occur regularly in the United States. It can also be identified in donkeys and zebras.

When did EEE virus start?

Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus was first discovered in 1933 during a large-scale equine epizootic in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Fatal encephalitis in humans soon followed during a 1938 outbreak of EEE in southeastern Massachusetts involving 34 cases in humans and 25 deaths.

Is there a cure for EEE?

No vaccine or specific antiviral treatments for EEE are available. In severe cases, patients often need to be hospitalized to receive supportive treatment, such as intravenous fluids, pain medication, and nursing care. If you think you or a family member might have EEE, talk with your health care provider.

Is there a vaccine for EEE?

Actually, there is a human vaccine for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), but it has never been approved for public use. The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases—the military medical research institute at Fort Detrick in Maryland—developed a human EEE vaccine in the mid-1980s.

Do all mosquitoes carry EEE?

Most mosquitoes do not transmit disease, however, anyone bitten by an infected mosquito can get EEE virus.

Where is EEE most common?

From 2011-2020, most cases of EEE have been reported Massachusetts, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, New York, and North Carolina. EEEV transmission is most common in and around freshwater hardwood swamps in the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states and the Great Lakes region.

Should I be worried about EEE?

Last year’s outbreak translates to 1 case per 10 million people in the U.S. However, EEE is also exceptionally dangerous. About one in three people who become severely ill with the virus die. Severe cases occur when people develop the virus’s most fatal symptom: brain inflammation or swelling, called encephalitis.

Can EEE be cured?

There’s no cure for Eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, but there is a vaccine for the mosquito-borne illness.

Is EEE curable?

There is no cure for EEE, and 3 of every 10 people who get the disease die from it. Doctors provide supportive treatment, lower the fever, and ease the pressure on the brain and spinal cord. Some people who survive this disease will be permanently disabled and only about half recover completely.

Is EEE a coronavirus?

Last fall in Massachusetts, there were 12 confirmed cases of EEE, including six deaths. This marked the largest number of EEE cases in the state since the 1950s….What are the signs and symptoms of EEE?