Updated Sep. 27, 2019 5:08 PM
Public health officials throughout the country are cautioning against the rise of a rare mosquito-borne virus known as East Equine Encephalitis (EEE) that has produced an abnormally high number of deaths this year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), EEE is a rare cause of brain infections and it is most common "in and around freshwater hardwood swamps in the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states and the Great Lakes region ."
At least 10 people have died due to the virus this year and the worst outbreaks have occurred in Michigan and New England. In 2018, CDC data shows that only one person died and there were just six total cases of EEE throughout the country.
In Connecticut, the state’s department of transportation has been posting warnings about EEE on highway signs after a second Connecticut resident recently died due to the virus. In Michigan, school officials have moved up the start times for high school football games so more of the games are played in daylight, when mosquitoes are less frequent.
As more cases emerge, the arrival of the season's first widespread freeze is becoming more important, as mosquitoes, which thrive in warm, wet weather, cannot survive after a hard freeze develops.
Four residents in Massachusetts have died as a result of the virus this year. At least 35 communities in the state are at critical risk, while 46 are at high risk and 122 face a moderate risk, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH).
Massachusetts health officials say EEE occurs sporadically in the state with the most recent outbreak years occurring from 2004-2006 and 2010-2012. The virus has been found in 422 mosquito samples this year.
FILE - In this Aug. 26, 2019, file photo, Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District biologist Nadja Reissen examines a mosquito in Salt Lake City. State and federal health officials are reporting a higher than usual number of deaths and illnesses from a rare, mosquito-borne virus this year. Eastern equine encephalitis has been diagnosed in a score of people in six states, and several people have died so far this year. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont urged residents this week to take the proper precautions.
“State government is being cautious on peoples’ behalf and we are just warning folks to be careful, but there is no need to panic,” Lamont said in a statement. “We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to provide updated information on these developments to the people of our state. If you must be outside early in the morning or at dusk, it’s a good idea to take some simple precautions.”
Connecticut officials say the worst risk of mosquitoes is east of the Connecticut River, but Dr. Theodore Andreadis, director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said they were seeing a significant overall decline in the number of mosquitoes collected in statewide trapping procedures.
Dr. Jim Fredericks, chief entomologist and vice president of technical and regulatory affairs for the National Pest Management Association, told AccuWeather there has been a rise in the number of EEE cases this year and part of that has to do with the life cycle of the disease.
“For the most part, the pathogen is found in birds and is transmitted within bird populations by a specific mosquito and those birds develop immunity," Fredericks said.
As immunity within the bird population starts to wane, Fredericks explained, in part due to birds dying of old age, that’s when there is a spike in human infections and so the reason for the spike is it’s typically correlated with an increase of infections in younger birds.
The last time there were more than 10 cases of the disease in the United States was in 2012, when 15 were reported, according to the CDC. Five deaths were reported that year. From 2009 to 2018, 30 deaths were attributed to the disease.
According to Fredericks, once cold weather settles in across the eastern U.S. in the coming weeks, the number of mosquitoes will drop and the spread of the EEE virus will likely diminish.
“During a hard freeze, typically, adult mosquitoes will die,” Fredericks said. “But actually anytime the temperature dips below 50 degrees [Fahrenheit], [most species of] mosquitoes are just about incapable of flying. And that’s simply because they’re cold-blooded animals, and when the weather is cold, when the temperatures are cold, they have decreased activity to the point where they’re just completely lethargic and not able to fly, or in this case, bite."
When temperatures rise above 50 F, the insects can resume activity. Mosquitoes that are not prepared to hibernate will typically die due to a hard freeze although some lay eggs that can withstand the cold weather while other adult mosquitoes are capable of overwintering and finding refuge in microhabitats that are insulated from cold weather such as sewer systems.
However, the CDC states that in subtropical endemic areas, such as the Gulf states, cases of EEE have occurred during the winter.
AccuWeather forecasters say the middle of October could bring the most substantial threat of frost throughout the Northeast.
AccuWeather Expert Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said the first wave of cold air may infiltrate areas from upstate New York to central and northern New England around Oct. 5.
"Frost will be more spotty in Pennsylvania and parts of the middle to lower Hudson Valley for this same time period," Pastelok said.
However, the following week, during Oct. 8-12, there is a chance of more widespread frost and freeze across the northern mid-Atlantic into the Northeast. This includes interior Michigan, away from lakeshore areas.
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"Frost can be spotty south [of] I-80 in Pennsylvania and perhaps in some of the coldest spots in northern Virginia and western Maryland," Pastelok said.
In the coming week, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said lows could be in the teens in the coldest spots of northern New York state and New England and the upper 20s over the valleys of the central Appalachians.
Dr. Jorge Parada, medical spokesperson for the NPMA, said in a statement provided to AccuWeather that EEE can result in one of two types of illness, systemic or encephalitic, with encephalitic being the deadlier of the two.
“Systemic infection symptoms are usually abrupt and mirror the same symptoms as the flu, except without nasal congestion and cough. Those infected are likely to experience chills, fever and joint pain . Encephalitic infections involve the brain and are more severe and present with symptoms such as vomiting, convulsions and mental status changes, including a possible coma. Unfortunately, many who recover from the illness are left with disabling mental disorders and brain disfunction. If you suspect you have EEE, you should seek out treatment from a physician as soon as possible,” he said.
Symptoms usually occur within four to 10 days after the bite from an infected mosquito.
Experts say some of the best ways to protect yourself against mosquitoes involve wearing long-sleeved shorts and pants as well as applying mosquito repellant that’s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Fredericks also cautioned against spending too much time outdoors when mosquitoes are biting, typically from dusk to dawn and recommended removing sources of stagnant water from around your home.
“It turns out that in addition to EEE, West Nile Virus continues to be a concern,” Fredericks said. “People should be aware and they should take precaution.
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