MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County health officials are urging residents to protect themselves against mosquitoes after recent testing has shown that eastern equine encephalitis – commonly referred to as EEE – has been detected in Southern Chautauqua County.
According to a media release sent out Tuesday afternoon, the Public Health Division of the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services received notification from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) that a mosquito pool in Southern Chautauqua County has tested positive for EEE. The exact location of the pool was not given in the release.
County Health Director Christine Schuyler says that although it is late in the season, residents should safeguard against EEE as well as West Nile Virus by taking basic precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
People are urged to follow these precautions to defend against mosquito bites:
- Use insect repellent properly.
- Limit outdoor activities in areas where mosquitoes are most active
- If you have to be outside, wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, shoes and socks as weather permits.
- Repair or replace all window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
- Reduce or eliminate all standing water.
- Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs and drain pool covers.
- Clean vegetation and debris from the edges of ponds
- Change the water in birdbaths and horse troughs twice a week.
- Dispose properly of old tires.
EEE is a rare illness in humans but often a deadly disease. It is transmitted by mosquitoes and can affect humans, birds, horses and other mammals. Most people bitten by an infected mosquito will not develop any signs; however, of those who do, symptoms usually appear four to ten days later.
Signs of EEE infection begin with a sudden headache, high fever, chills and vomiting. The illness may then progress into disorientation, seizures, coma or inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). It causes death in most cases; however, some people will survive the infection and have mild to severe brain damage for life. There is no specific treatment for EEE; care is based on symptoms.
There is no commercially available human vaccine for EEE. The best way to protect yourself is to keep mosquitoes from biting you. EEE vaccines are available for horses in consultation with a veterinarian.
In the last 12 years, New York State has reported 490 human cases of the WNV with 37 fatalities as compared with only five reported human cases of EEE in the last 40 years, all of which were fatal.
For more information on EEE, visit www.health.ny.gov.
www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/eastern_equine_encephalitis/fact_sheet.htm .
Leave a Reply