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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRare mosquito-born virus suspected in Michigan: 10 counties urged to cancel outdoor events
An adult from Barry County is suspected of having the rare and dangerous mosquito-borne virus Eastern equine encephalitis, health officials announced Tuesday.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services now urges people in 10 Michigan counties Barry, Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Oakland to cancel or postpone outdoor events that take place at or after dusk to prevent more people from contracting the virus, which is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes.
Also known as Triple E, the virus is one of the deadliest mosquito-borne diseases in the United States, with a 33% fatality rate in people who become ill. It leaves many survivors with physical and mental disabilities. It kills 90% of the horses sickened by the virus. So far this year, 22 horses in the 10 counties that are urged to cancel outdoor events have had confirmed cases of the virus.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.freep.com/amp/5806130002
randr
(12,412 posts)North Shore Chicago
(3,316 posts)Ilsa
(61,695 posts)Those were words from a doctor I knew. I hope they get this contained.
People can't meet indoors because of COVID-19, or outdoors because of EEE.
gristy
(10,667 posts)Eastern Equine Encephalitis
EEE 2020
2020 EEE Outbreak Information
As of Sept. 13, EEE has been confirmed in 22 horses in 10 counties in Michigan. Additional animal cases are under investigation. This is twice as many animal cases as the same time last year. To date, no human cases have been identified. There is an EEE vaccine available for horses, but not for people. Protecting horses with approved EEE vaccines is an important prevention measure.
In an effort to prevent spread of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), MDHHS has announced plans to conduct aerial mosquito control treatment in certain high-risk areas of Michigan. To prevent the loss of life and protect public health, MDHHS has determined a targeted aerial treatment plan is necessary. When there are high rates of animal infections, humans are just as at risk.
EEE is one of the most dangerous mosquito-borne diseases in the United States, with a 33 percent fatality rate in people who become ill. People can be infected with EEE from one bite of a mosquito carrying the virus. Persons younger than age 15 and over age 50 are at greatest risk of severe disease following infection. More than 25 percent of the nations EEE cases last year were diagnosed in Michigan. The risk of bites is highest for people who work and play outdoors in affected areas.
FAQ : Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Aerial Treatment
State EEE Treatment Blocks
Michigan County Treatment Zones
MDARD Emergency Rule Amending R 285.637.11
MDHHS hotline for general EEE questions: 888-535-6136
(Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
2020 Press Releases
other links for info at link: https://www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseases/0,4579,7-186-76711_77442---,00.html
Buckeyeblue
(5,499 posts)Schools changed sports schedules and we used a lot of bug spray. In my mind, the Triple E kicked off what has been a strange calendar year.
Someday, history will read: Ultimately it was the viruses that fought back against the human destruction of Earth.
lettucebe
(2,336 posts)added deadly mosquito bites to their Bingo cards. This s-storm never stops.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)appalachiablue
(41,131 posts)July 22, 2020, AP. Potentially Bad Summer For EEE (Eastern Equine Encephalitis) In NE, & Mosquito, Tick, Bug-Borne Ills
'First Covid-19, Now Mosquitos, Bracing For Bug-Born Ills.' Excerpts:
Sophia Garabedian had been dealing with a persistent fever and painful headache when her parents found her unresponsive in her bed one morning last fall. Doctors ultimately diagnosed the then-5-year-old Sudbury, Massachusetts, resident with eastern equine encephalitis, a rare but severe mosquito-borne virus that causes brain swelling. Garabedian survived the potentially fatal virus after about a month in Boston hospitals, but her parents say her ordeal and ongoing recovery should be a warning as people take advantage of the outdoors this summer. Its been a rough year, said David Garabedian, her father. With any brain injury, its hard to tell. The damage is there. How she works through it is anyones guess.
As the coronavirus pandemic subsides for now in the hard-hit Northeast, public health officials in the region are warning about another potentially bad summer for EEE and other insect-borne illnesses. There were 38 human cases and 15 deaths from the virus, with many of the cases in Massachusetts and Michigan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most years, the country sees just half a dozen cases of the virus in humans, the agency said.
In Massachusetts and New Jersey, officials have already detected EEE in mosquitoes this year, the earliest on record in those states. There have been no human or animal cases yet.. Crans and other state health officials say EEE, which has no cure in humans, tends to come in two- to three-year cycles, but they also stress that mosquito borne-diseases are notoriously tricky to predict.
A relatively mild winter may have benefited mosquito populations, but below-average rainfall could have also provided a welcome counterweight, he said.
Local health officials are also warning about the risk of contracting other insect-borne illnesses as more people are spending a longer time outdoors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In Michigan, an invasive mosquito known to transmit dengue, Zika and other tropical viruses has already been detected for the first time this season, said Mary Grace Stobierski, the states public health veterinarian. The state also had its first case of West Nile virus this season. A more common but less severe mosquito-borne disease than EEE, it can cause fevers, headaches, body pain and other symptoms. The infection was found in a captive hawk in early June.
> Ticks are also expected to be out earlier and in larger numbers this season because of the relatively mild winter, warned Aaron Bernstein, a pediatrician at Boston Childrens Hospital and a director at Harvards School of Public Health. That could mean more cases of debilitating Lyme disease and other tick-related illnesses for local health care systems already feeling the pressure of responding to the coronavirus, he said. Some of the people going into the woods more now might not be experienced with how to protect themselves in the forest, and thats a concern, he said.
Officials say people should avoid the evening and early morning hours when mosquitoes are most active, use bug spray and wear long clothing where possible when outdoors.
> The CDC has offered states additional help with mosquito testing this season as the coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed state public health offices, said Candice Hoffmann, an agency spokeswoman. Officials in eight states and the District of Columbia have so far taken up the offer: Maryland, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont, Maine, Florida and Arizona...
Read More, https://apnews.com/d588bb4f42d92dca86c43443204fe1ba
https://democraticunderground.com/1127139135
Ms. Toad
(34,069 posts)But get bit by the mosquitos and die from a different virus.
crickets
(25,976 posts)With COVID going on, I'd forgotten all about it.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) Statistics & Maps
https://www.cdc.gov/easternequineencephalitis/tech/epi.html
Worth following the link for the map alone - shows number of cases by state 20102019.