Late on October 4, the Department of Agriculture announced in a Tweet Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) has been found in a fifth county-- Luzerne County.
On October 3, the Department of Environmental Protection announced evidence of EEE was found in Mercer County, in addition to Carbon, Erie and Monroe counties.
As a result, DEP conducted truck mounted ultra-low volume (ULV) mosquito control operations in parts of Stoneboro, Mercer County, on October 3.
DEP has already conducted spraying operations in Carbon and Erie counties related to Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Monroe County has conducted its own spraying.
EEE is a rare but serious disease caused by a virus. The virus infects birds that live in freshwater swamps and is spread from bird to bird by infected mosquitoes. If a mosquito infected with the virus bites a horse or human, the animal or person can become sick. The risk of getting EEE is highest from late July through September.
This disease can also be fatal, as three out of every 10 people who get the disease die from it.
The current outbreak of EEE has resulted in 11 deaths in Michigan (4), Massachusetts (3), Connecticut (3) and Rhode Island (1).
On October 2, the Department of Health issued a series of precautionary steps citizens can take to prevent both mosquito-borne and tick-borne diseases. Click Here for more information.
For more information, review the Department of Health’s Eastern Equine Encephalitis fact sheet and visit the Lyme Disease webpage and DEP’s West Nile Virus webpage for vector-borne diseases.
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