Important Takeaways:

• Eastern equine encephalitis, commonly known as EEE or ‘Triple E’, is a virus transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. The virus causes brain inflammation and affects the brain and nervous system’s functionality.
• First detected in horses in the 1830s, hence the name, EEE affects both horses and humans with acute symptoms.
• EEE naturally resides in certain birds and rodents in the United States – mostly on the East Coast – and has also been found in Central and Latin America, Canada, and the Caribbean.
• Mosquitoes become carriers of EEE after feeding on an infected bird or rodent. These mosquitoes can then transmit the virus to humans and other animals.
• It cannot be spread directly between humans, and neither humans nor horses circulate enough of the virus in their bodies to pass it back to mosquitoes.
• EEE has a very high fatality rate of at least 30 per cent, meaning that around one in three people who contract the disease will die, according to the CDC.
• Survivors of EEE can be left with lifelong mental and physical disabilities due to the damage caused to the brain and central nervous system. Effects can range from behavioral changes and memory loss to paralysis and permanent brain damage.
• Other mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile virus, dengue, and Zika have caused significant outbreaks around the world this year and spread to new geographical areas

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