Local news

The death follows the first human case of electrical and electronic equipment exposure in Massachusetts earlier this month.

An adult from Hampstead, New Hampshire, has died from infection with the Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus, health officials announced Tuesday.

“EEEV is a rare but serious disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes,” said a statement from the New Hampshire Department of Health. “DHHS extends its condolences to the affected person’s family and friends.”

The resident was hospitalized with a “serious central nervous system disorder,” the statement said.

The death came after Massachusetts authorities announced earlier this month the first human case of EEE in the state since 2020. There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment for the virus.

Massachusetts announced Monday that the risk for electrical and electronic equipment had risen to “high” or “critical” levels in 10 communities in the state, and that the state is spraying mosquito repellent in parts of Plymouth and Worcester counties this week.

“We have not seen an EEE outbreak in Massachusetts in four years,” said Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, Massachusetts DPH Commissioner, in a statement. “The outbreak and activities this year increase the risk to communities in parts of the state. We must use every tool at our disposal to reduce the risk and protect our communities. We ask everyone to do their part.”

So far this summer, health officials have detected the infection in one horse and seven groups of mosquitoes in New Hampshire.

“We believe there is an increased risk of EEEV infections in New England this year because positive mosquito samples have been identified,” state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said in a statement. “The risk will persist into the fall until a hard freeze occurs to kill off the mosquitoes.”

The last reported human electrical and electronic equipment infection in New Hampshire was in 2014. At that time, there were three infections that resulted in two deaths, the agency said. One of the five people who contracted the virus in Massachusetts in 2020 died.

Cases of EEE are “relatively rare,” according to the CDC, but those at greatest risk for developing severe illness are people over 50 and under 15 years of age.

According to the health department, the EEE virus can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle and joint pain, and severe neurological diseases.

A third of people who contract encephalitis from electrical and electronic equipment die, while many others suffer lifelong physical and medical disabilities, officials say.

The agency recommends that residents avoid mosquito bites by using repellents, wearing long-sleeved clothing and long pants, securing tightly fitting fly screens on doors and windows, and avoiding spending time outdoors in the early morning and evening hours.

“In New Hampshire, mosquitoes transmit infections such as Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus, West Nile virus and Jamestown Canyon virus,” Chan said. “Everyone should take steps to avoid mosquito bites when outdoors.”