Cases of eastern equine encephalitis are rare in Canada. But after an Ottawa man died of the mosquito-borne virus just weeks ago, experts and public health officials say cases are likely underreported. The virus is rare but deadly, with a 33 to 70 per cent fatality rate for humans and the potential to cause severe long-term effects, such as paralysis and brain dysfunction for survivors.
There are no vaccines or treatment for humans, but there are also only a few cases reported annually, with the Public Health Agency of Canada reporting just one known case of eastern equine encephalitis as of Sept. 12. But Dr.
David Fisman, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto, said that number may not be accurate because public health agencies don’t have to actively monitor eastern equine encephalitis cases. “If you don’t know how much of something is happening, it’s very difficult to make smart plans,” he said. The virus is passed between mosquitoes that draw blood from birds and then can further pass it to horses and people.
It’s found in a specific species of mosquito mostly found in rural, swampy areas but can then spread. The difference between how West Nile and eastern equine encephalitis are tracked is the difference between reporting both probable and confirmed cases, or only what is confirmed through lab testing. There are also differences in how provinces and territories track and report those cases to the federal agency for more central tracking, whi.