A New Hampshire resident infected
A New Hampshire resident infected with the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis virus has died, state health authorities said. The Hampstead resident’s infection was the first in the state in a decade, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. The resident, whom the department only identified as an adult, had been hospitalized due to severe central nervous system symptoms, the department said. About a third of people who develop encephalitis from the virus die from the infection, and survivors can suffer lifelong mental and physical disabilities. There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment available for infections. The 2019 outbreak included six deaths among 12 confirmed cases in Massachusetts, and the outbreak continued the following year with five more cases and another death. Two of the three people infected in New Hampshire in 2014 died.