(WPDE) — The South Carolina Department of Health has reported a deadly human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), marking the first such case in the state in more than two decades.
The virus, which circulates between birds and mosquitoes in freshwater hardwood swamps, is extremely rare in humans, with only about seven cases reported annually in the United States.
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Dr. Brannon Traxler, deputy director of health promotion and services and chief medical officer for South Carolina, said, “Only about 5% of people that actually get infected by Tripoli develop what we call a euro invasive case. And that’s where it gets into either the brain itself or the lining around the brain and spinal cord and causes what we call then encephalitis or meningitis.”
Symptoms of EEE include fever, fatigue, and nausea, which can progress to more severe neurological symptoms.
Dr. Paul Richardson, chief medical officer at Conway Medical Center, explained that there is no specific treatment for EEE. “There’s no specific treatment so if someone were to develop a significant case like that it would be supportive therapy… your thinking if they’re sick enough to be in the hospital yes IV fluid those kind of things… those are the kind of things you’d do to support them there’s no vaccines, no human vaccines for this nor is there any kind of specific treatment,” he said.
To monitor and detect EEE and other mosquito-borne viruses, Dr. Chris Evans, South Carolina state public health entomologist, said, “We sent out mosquito traps. Those mosquitoes get sent to us, like I said, on a cold chain. And make sure that the virus, if there, is present in the mosquito. We then shipped those off to the University of Georgia veterinary school, and they do a virus culture.”
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Health officials recommend taking precautions to reduce the risk of infection, such as avoiding mosquito bites by using coverage and anti-mosquito sprays.
The Department of Health noted that about 30% of those who contract serious cases of EEE die from the virus, and many survivors suffer long-term neurological problems.
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