A second case of the mosquito-borne illness eastern equine encephalitis has been confirmed in New Hampshire, according to state health officials.
The infection was in an adult from Kensington who began experiencing symptoms on Aug. 8. The person was hospitalized and is now recovering at a rehabilitation facility, according to a spokesperson for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
Eastern equine encephalitis – also known as EEE or “Triple-E” – is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease that affects the central nervous system. The CDC says about one in three people who develop serious symptoms die from it.
Last month, health officials announced that a Hampstead resident had died from EEE. It was the state’s first known infection since 2014.
New Hampshire health officials say there’s an elevated risk of EEE across the state this year. They’re encouraging people to take steps to prevent mosquito bites, including using insect repellent, wearing pants and long sleeves outdoors, and staying away from boggy areas where mosquitoes are more likely to congregate.
Officials in Kensington had several locations in town sprayed for mosquitos last week and will continue doing so until the first frost of the season, according to a notice posted on the town website.
Family members of a 54-year-old Kensington man, Joe Casey, told Boston’s WBZ-TV in early September that he was in the hospital with EEE and two other mosquito-borne diseases. The state health department doesn’t report EEE infections until they’ve been confirmed by additional testing, which can sometimes take weeks after a preliminary test in a hospital.
