ALBANY, New York /
A person died in New York State due to encephalitis Eastern Equine (EEE), prompting Governor Kathy Hochul to declare the rare mosquito-borne disease as an imminent threat to public health.
The death that was reported on Monday in the county from Ulster It is apparently the second death from the disease in the United States this year after a New Hampshire resident infected with the eastern equine encephalitis virus died last month.
Until September 17, before the New York case was confirmed, Ten human cases of the disease had been reportedalso known as EEEnationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The death in Ulster County was the first for the disease in New York State since 2015. No details have been released. about the person who became infected and died.
Hochul said that Public health declaration will free up state resources to help local health departments combat EEE.
“Following the first confirmed human case of EEE, my administration took action across the state to help protect communities, and with today’s declaration we are making additional state resources available to local departments to support their public health response,” the governor said in a news release.
CDC says only a few cases of EEE are reported in the United States each year, mostly in eastern states and the Gulf Coast. There were just seven cases nationwide last year, but more than 30 in 2019, a historically bad year.
There are no vaccines or treatments for EEE.and about 30% of people who become infected die. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures.
APC
