New York issues 'imminent threat to health' warning as resident dies from seizure-causing infection READ MORE: A THIRD state could issue 'stay at home' orders over deadly virus By Cassidy Morrison Senior Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com Published: 15:58, 24 September 2024 | Updated: 16:14, 24 September 2024 e-mail View comments New Yorkers have been placed on high alert after the state's first death in a decade from an extremely rare but severe mosquito-borne disease. Gov Kathy Hochul announced that a person in Ulster County, 70 miles west of the Connecticut border, had died from Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).
It is the second fatality to take place in the US this year, the first being a 41-year-old man in New Hampshire who died in August. The disease is spread by infected mosquitos that kill around a third and up to half of their victims, often due to severe brain inflammation leading to seizures, headaches, and brain death. New York state parks will now make mosquito repellent available to visitors, post signs raising awareness of the disease, and consult with health departments about setting park hours and limiting activity at times of the day when mosquito activity is highest.
Multiple different species of mosquito can transmit this virus, but one common kind is the cattail mosquito, whose scientific name is Coquilleta perturbans. This bug is found across the Eastern and Midwestern United States Your browser does not support iframes. This year, cases of the disease i.