A 41-year-old New Hampshire man named Steven Perry has died from a rare mosquito-borne viral disease called Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE), health authorities said Tuesday.
Perry was hospitalized with severe central nervous system disease and died within a week, according to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
According to multiple reports, Perry is the fifth case of the virus in the U.S. this year. Earlier this month, the first human case of the virus was confirmed in Massachusetts, in a man in his 80s.
Before this year, the last human EEEV infection was reported in 2014 in three people, including two deaths, the department said.
Infected mosquitoes are believed to be present in various regions and a warning about this virus has been issued in neighboring areas.
This is the peak season for mosquitoes as they are most active in August and September. Authorities have reportedly started controlling the mosquito population through aerial and ground spraying.
The danger will persist into the fall and there will be severe frost that will kill all the mosquitoes, said New Hampshire State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan.
Here you will find everything you need to know about the EEE virus or Triple E.
