In Massachusetts (USA), a man was bitten by a mosquito carrying a potentially deadly virus. A tense situation that forced the authorities to put in place security measures.
A single case, but one that raises great concern. On August 16, in Massachusetts (United States), an 80-year-old man was bitten by a mosquito carrying Eastern equine encephalitis, also called EEE or Triple E. As a reminder, this is a potentially deadly virus that infected mosquitoes can transmit to animals and, more rarely, to humans. This rare disease can manifest itself through several symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, headaches, convulsions, but also vomiting. “EEE is a rare but serious disease and constitutes a public health problem”said Robbie Goldstein, Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner, in a statement relayed by the BBCMonday August 26.
Faced with the urgency of the situation, local authorities preferred not to take any risks. To limit the spread of the virus, many public parks were closed and aerial spraying of the pesticide Anvil 10+10, a product used to combat mosquitoes across the Atlantic, was carried out. At the same time, experts encouraged people to restrict their outdoor activities, especially in the evening, until the end of September. “We want to remind residents of the need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in areas of the state where EEE activity is observed.”he added.
No vaccine or treatment
Unfortunately, prevention is the only effective way to slow the spread of the virus. As recalled The Parisianthere is no vaccine or antiviral treatment. When cases of EEE are observed in a region, it is therefore advisable to avoid going out at dusk and dawn, to use suitable products against mosquitoes, to wear long sleeves and trousers during the hours when mosquitoes are most active, to drain stagnant water or to use mosquito nets in homes.
published on August 28 at 4:20 p.m., Tanguy Jaillant, 6Medias
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