US Man Dies From Rare Mosquito Virus Caught In Backyard, Cases Rising

An American man died last week following a five-year fight with a mosquito-borne virus that kills almost 30% of patients. The rare disease is also making a comeback in the tri-state area on the East Coast.

Richard Pawulski, 49, of Colchester, Connecticut, contracted Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) while performing garden work on his woods property in August 2019, according to the New York Post. Even those who survive the virus's first outbreak, which attacks the brain, are often left with lasting impairments and neurologic issues. When Pawulski first developed the condition, he had severe migraines and was vomiting yellow bile, but doctors were confused.

"I'm not joking when I say your life can change in the blink of an eye, because that was what happened to us," his grieving daughter of Richard, Amellia Pawulski, 18, told The Post.

Richard died at 2:30 am Monday, one week after he was admitted into hospice when doctors determined that "there wasn't much else" that could be done for him, Amellia said.

What is Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE)?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Eastern equine encephalitis is caused by a virus spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is a rare but serious disease. Approximately 30% of people who develop severe eastern equine encephalitis die, and many survivors have ongoing neurologic problems. Symptoms of eastern equine encephalitis can include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures, behavioural changes, and drowsiness.

There are no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat eastern equine encephalitis. People living in areas where eastern equine encephalitis virus circulates should protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites.