Americans have been asked not to go outside after sunset because of a deadly disease carried by ordinary mosquitoes.
In early September, two US states introduced serious restrictions in connection with the spread of a deadly disease. Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is a very rare disease, there is no treatment for it, and approximately 30 percent of people risk not surviving the infection. Lenta.ru tells about the disease that has forced tens of thousands of Americans to stay home in the evenings.
Vermont and Massachusetts impose restrictions
Vermont has become the second state after Massachusetts to postpone planned public gatherings due to the risk of people becoming infected with VEE. The Vermont Department of Health has “strongly recommended” that residents avoid going outside between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., when the blood-sucking insects are most active.
The restrictions in Vermont are not a preventative measure, where the disease has appeared for the first time since 2012. Doctors have already found 47 groups of mosquitoes carrying VEE in 11 small towns and three cities.
Because of this, in particular, the annual Oktoberfest festival in Burlington was canceled. This event is considered one of the most popular and famous in Vermont
A number of music and culinary festivals were also cancelled or postponed. Organizers were understanding about these measures, although they complained about the loss of invested funds.
Clinton, Massachusetts during lockdown, November 2020. Photo: Quiggyt4 / Shutterstock / Fotodom
On September 11, the first case of VEE in a horse was detected in Connecticut, in a 23-year-old animal. So now people there can get sick too.
VEL is rare but extremely dangerous
Eastern equine encephalitis does not originate in Asia or the Middle East, as one might think. It is believed that it struck first in Massachusetts (that is, in the eastern United States) in 1831. Then, 75 horses died from a mysterious disease. The virus itself was only identified in the 1930s. That was also when the first human victims appeared. In 1938, 30 children died from the disease in the northeastern part of the country.
Despite its rarity, VEE is a serious and insidious disease. It primarily affects horses, and is not transmitted through contact with infected animals. However, just one mosquito that stings an infected equid can infect several people.
At the same time, according to statistics, the mortality rate from VEL among people is up to 33 percent, and there is no treatment for it – doctors can only fight the symptoms and hope for the best. So Americans have something to fear
VEE is an RNA-containing virus. This group includes, for example, Ebola, COVID-19, rabies, West Nile fever, and others. VEE attacks the central nervous system of its victim. Symptoms of the virus include headache, high fever, disorientation, seizures, and constant drowsiness.
Photo: Nechaevkon / Shutterstock / FotodomOne fatality due to VEL has already been registered in 2024
The restrictions in Massachusetts and Vermont came shortly after doctors were unable to save 41-year-old Steven Perry of Hampstead, New Hampshire, in late August.
The man was absolutely healthy and had no chronic diseases that could cause complicated course of VEL. Moreover, children under 15 and adults over 50 are considered to be most susceptible to the disease, so Perry's case is unique in its own way.
In New Hampshire, the disease has not been recorded in humans or animals since 2014. Ten years ago, there were three cases, two of which could not be saved.
Stephen Perry. Photo: CBS NewsNew outbreak of VEL comes after relative calm
Massachusetts doctors have already identified VEE in an 80-year-old man, the first case since 2020, when five people fell ill in the state, one of whom died.
And in 2019, something resembling an epidemic happened there: 12 infected people were hospitalized, six of whom died. At the same time, according to statistics, on average, 11 cases of the disease occur in people in the United States per year.
The U.S. has seen little to no cases of VEE in the past four years, likely due to long lockdowns due to its distant cousin, COVID-19. However, it appears that the equine disease is back and attacking Americans with renewed vigor.
