ABC News As mosquito season continues, public health officials in the U.S. have been tracking several different illnesses caused by the pesky flying insect.
Health officials are reporting at least eighteen deaths from West Nile virus in the U.S. this year, with three recent deaths recorded in Wisconsin and Illinois. There have been six cases of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), including one person who died after testing positive for the virus, as well as dengue cases recorded in several states. The viruses that cause all three illnesses are transmitted to humans via mosquito bite.
“What we’ve seen is a rapid uptake in certain viruses that haven’t been in the limelight in recent years. Both West Nile virus and ‘triple E,’ which is eastern equine encephalitis, have had an uptick, particularly post-COVID,” Dr. Larry Han, an assistant professor of public health and health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, told ABC News.
“There’s also been a rise in dengue relative to what we’ve seen in recent years. And so, these ‘triple threats,’ you might say, have led to more attention and more worry among the general populace.”