Health officials are on alert in Michigan after a 14-year-old girl contracted Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a rare and deadly mosquito virus that claimed the life of a Massachusetts woman over the weekend.
NBC's Morgan Radford reports that 14-year-old Savanna DeHart, of Kalamazoo, remains hospitalized after contracting EEE from a mosquito. Savanna's mother told NBC News that she nearly lost her daughter, who is still fighting for her life.
Michigan health officials are also investigating three other potential cases of EEE, while nearly 30 Massachusetts communities remain on a "critical risk" alert for EEE, according to NBC. Some communities have issued curfews and are urging residents to avoid outdoor activity from dusk through dawn.
Laurie Sylvia was the fourth confirmed case of EEE in Massachusetts since the beginning of August. The 59-year-old mother and wife died Sunday, according to NBC Boston.
What is EEE?
The EEE virus can lead to encephalitis, or a brain infection.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EEE, which is only spread by mosquitoes, kills about 30% of those who contract it. Survivors are often left with severe neurological damage.
The CDC says EEE symptoms can surface four to 10 days after infection. Early symptoms include chills, fever, malaise, arthralgia and myalgia. Encephalitis manifests after a few days of systemic illness, resulting in fever, headache, irritability, restlessness, drowsiness, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, cyanosis, convulsions and coma.
There is no vaccine, cure or direct treatment for EEE.
The CDC says EEE transmission is most common near freshwater areas, including the Great Lakes region.