Health officials in New Hampshire announced Tuesday that a person who tested positive for the mosquito-borne infectious disease Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEEV) has died.

An adult from Hampstead, New Hampshire, who tested positive for EEEV infection “was hospitalized for severe central nervous system disease and has died from his illness,” the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health Services (DPHS), said in a statement. “DHHS extends our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.”

EEEV is a rare but serious disease transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes. The last reported human infection of EEEV in New Hampshire was in 2014, when DHHS identified three human infections, including two deaths, according to the agency. In addition to the person with EEEV infection announced Tuesday, EEEV has been detected in one horse and seven groups of mosquitoes in New Hampshire so far this summer.

“In New Hampshire, mosquitoes transmit infections such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, West Nile Virus and Jamestown Canyon Virus,” said Dr. Benjamin Chan, New Hampshire State Epidemiologist, in a statement. “Given the positive mosquito samples identified, we believe there is an increased risk of EEEV infections in New England this year. The risk will continue into the fall until a hard freeze occurs to kill off the mosquitoes. Everyone should take steps to avoid mosquito bites when outdoors.”

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A cattail mosquito is stored for study at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in South Portland, Maine, on Wednesday, September 8, 2010. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach, file)

According to health officials in New Hampshire, EEEV can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches and joint pain.

EEEV can also cause serious neurological diseases such as inflammation of the brain and the membranes around the spinal cord, called encephalitis and meningitis, respectively. About one-third of all people who develop encephalitis due to EEEV die from the infection, and many others suffer lifelong physical or mental disabilities. There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment for EEEV.

EEEV has also been detected in neighboring states. In Massachusetts, one person, one horse, and 69 mosquito samples tested positive, and in Vermont, one person and 47 mosquito samples tested positive. On August 9, Vermont state health officials announced the first human case since 2012. This case involved a man in his 40s from Chittenden County who was hospitalized on July 16 and left the hospital a week later.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are approximately eleven cases of Eastern equine encephalomyelitis in humans in the United States each year.

The City of Plymouth announced on Friday, August 23, 2024, that it will close public outdoor recreation facilities from dusk to dawn daily after a horse in the city became infected with Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, file)

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New Hampshire health officials urged citizens to protect themselves from EEEV infection by taking steps to avoid mosquito bites, including using effective mosquito repellent, wearing long sleeves and long pants when outdoors, and avoiding outdoor activities in the early morning and evening hours when mosquitoes are most active.

Massachusetts began spraying the air to control mosquitoes over the weekend. (Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The agency said it is also important for residents to remove standing water around their homes to reduce the mosquito population and ensure that doors and windows are fitted with tight-fitting fly screens with no holes.

Over the weekend, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) announced plans to conduct aerial spraying against mosquitoes in parts of Plymouth County and truck spraying in parts of Worcester County. As of Saturday, 10 Massachusetts communities are at high or critical risk for EEEV.

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“We have not seen an outbreak of electrical and electronic equipment in Massachusetts in four years,” said Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts DPH. MD, PhD he said in a statement on Saturday. “The outbreak and activities this year are increasing the risk to communities in parts of the state. We must use all the tools at our disposal to reduce the risk and protect our communities. We ask everyone to do their part.”

The city of Plymouth, about 40 miles southeast of Boston, said Friday it was taking “proactive measures” in light of the high-risk status for EEEV by closing all parks and fields from dusk to dawn.