Mosquito-Borne Illnesses Are Taking a Toll in Multiple States

Forty-one states and the District of Columbia have seen confirmed cases of West Nile virus so far this year—206 cases and counting. On a much smaller scale, four patients have been diagnosed with eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in Massachusetts. One died, underscoring the severity of the disease. What both sets of data share is that they reflect the dangers of mosquitos to humans in the United States. Given the sudden onset of symptoms, the facts that they overlap and may not seem severe at first, and could occur with any number of other possible diagnoses, it’s likely many patient would think to visit an urgent care center when they start to feel ill. Knowing how to recognize the symptoms is essential to timely diagnosis that could save lives. (For EEE, those symptoms include chills, fever, malaise, arthralgia, and myalgia; for West Nile, fever, headache, body aches, skin rash, and swollen lymph nodes.) While more rare than West Nile, EEE kills around one third of those who are infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Probe patients who present with the symptoms described above to see if they recall receiving mosquito bites, or even just being in mosquito-rich environments recently. If so, and there’s no other explanation for their symptoms, contact local and state health authorities.