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Eastern Equine Encephalitis to Last Longer into the Fall Eastern Equine Encephalitis to Last Longer into the Fall

Chuck Schumer held a press conference to talk about the action he is taking

By Alek Harasim

Senator Chuck Schumer is holding a bottle of bug repellent
© 2024 Alek Harasim

Eastern Equine Encephalitis, better known as Triple E, is appearing once again in Central New York. David Larsen, a Professor of Public Health, gives some detail to how it’s transmitted.

We expect to find it in bird populations, and then it spills over into human populations and horse cases.

He also shares some best practices for protection against bites.

Mosquito repellent, right, anything with the chemical DEET, very very effective. There’s other types of chemicals as well. Long sleeves and long pant legs are also helpful. And then mosquitos are attracted to dark colors, so you can think about lighter colors as well.

Senator Chuck Schumer will be discussing the virus and the recent death that has occurred to it. As well as pushing for more resources into monitoring mosquitos and helping to fight back the virus.

I want the federal government, particularly the CDC, the center for disease control, and EPA, the environmental protection agency, to step up coordination efforts, to help New York and local officials. Second, I’m pushing to surge the CDC’s vector borne disease program, which New York benefits from, with over 65 million dollars in federal funding.

Many other local officials spoke including Doctor Saravanan Thangamani, who expresses the importance of continuous monitoring.

We have to continuously monitor throughout, whether the disease is there or not. We have to monitor.

This is Alek Harasim, N-C-C News.

Syracuse N.Y. (NCC News)– Eastern Equine Encephalitis, also known as EEE, is appearing once more in Central New York, as testing showed many mosquitos carrying the disease and caused its first death in nearly 10 years. 

 

EEE is a virus that originates in birds, transmitted to mosquitos, and ends up in humans and horses, where it stays in the body and is no longer transmissible. The disease is endemic to Central New York, meaning finding EEE is expected for this region. Symptoms include headaches, fevers, and chills suddenly a few days after infection. EEE develops into seizures, brain inflammation, and eventually a coma. There is no vaccine or cure for EEE. The best way to prevent it is not to get it.

 

David Larsen, Professor of Public Health at Syracuse University, said the best methods to avoid bites are using mosquito repellents, especially those containing DEET, wearing long sleeves and pants, and wearing lighter colors. 

 

Another step in prevention is monitoring the mosquito population for diseases. “Public Health Departments are doing their job when we don’t hear of them,” said Larsen. “When people get food poisoning or other diseases, it’s Public Health’s job to trace it back and prevent it from happening again.”

 

One source of mosquitoes is the Cicero Swamp. Public health officials have found EEE positive and West Nile Virus positive mosquitoes in the swamp. Aerial spraying was conducted to kill infected mosquitoes and stop the spread of diseases. Oneida Lake has also tested positive at locations like Toad Harbor and Big Bay Swamp.

Senator Chuck Schumer held a press conference at SUNY Center for Vector Borne Disease to discuss action against EEE and West Nile Virus. He called for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to coordinate and plan with New York State and local officials to survey and track mosquito populations. Schumer is pushing for $65 million more funding to the CDC’s Vector-Borne Diseases programs as well. 

 

Expect mosquitoes to be around longer this fall because of the recent flooding and a very wet summer, according to Senator Schumer. 

 

EEE is rare but still dangerous as a man in Ulster County died after contracting the virus last month. “Across New York, we have seen an unsettling spike in cases of EEEV among horses and West Nile Virus,” said Senator Schumer, “and tragically just last month we had our first death from EEEV since the last death of a Central NY-er almost a decade ago.”

 

New York State’s Department of Health has confirmed at least 18 cases in horses across Upstate New York and at least 33 positive mosquito pools. There have been 11 human cases of EEE in New York State since 1971 and seven were fatal.

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