More than 100 mosquitoes have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE, in Connecticut this year, including one in South Windsor, the latest town touched by the virus.
EEE in Connecticut
A mosquito trapped at Burgess Road in South Windsor has tested positive for the EEE virus.
EEE is rare, but 30 percent of those who contract the disease die, and many others are left with brain damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms of EEE include headache, high fever, chills and vomiting. It may then progress with disorientation, seizures and coma. There is no specific treatment.
A resident of East Lyme has died of EEE this season. A second case has been confirmed in a resident of Old Lyme.
EEE has been detected in mosquitoes trapped in Chester, Groton, Haddam, Hampton, Killingworth, Ledyard, Madison, North Stonington, Plainfield, Shelton, South Windsor, Stonington and Voluntown. It has also been found in horses in Colchester, Columbia, Salem, Sterling and Voluntown.
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West Nile Virus in Connecticut
The latest Mosquito Trapping and Testing Report also says 78 mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus.
West Nile is more common than EEE. According to the CDC, most people who are infected with West Nile do not experience any symptoms. Some people will experience symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, joint paints, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Most people with this type of West Nile will make a full recovery.
A small percentage of patients can develop a more serious, possibly fatal, illness, health experts say.
West Nile has been detected in mosquitoes in Bridgeport, Chester, Darien, East Haven, Greenwich, Groton, Hartford, Manchester, Middlefield, Monroe, New Canaan, New Haven, Newington, North Haven, North Stonington, Norwalk, South Windsor, Stamford, Stonington, Voluntown, West Hartford, West Haven and Wethersfield, and a horse in Easton.
The state Department of Public Health urges residents to avoid outdoor activities from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes are most active, and take measures to avoid mosquito bites. State officials said the mosquitoes that carry the viruses are active until the first heavy frost.
