United States: Health experts are alarmed that the world could see another lockdown. This time, the root cause for the same will not be COVID-19; it will be Triple E. The threat emerged after the health authorities issued an advisory and designated the four communities as “critical risk.”
An anonymous health expert for the town of Oxford mentioned, “It is the Board of Health’s responsibility to protect the public health, and we take EEE very seriously, and we are strongly encouraging residents to follow these recommendations due to the severity of EEE and the fact that it is in our community,” according to the reports by Fox News Digital.
Furthermore, the spokesperson mentioned, “So far this year in Massachusetts, there has only been one human case of EEE, but throughout the state, mosquitoes have tested positive for EEE.”
One of the infected people, who lives in Oxford, is seeking treatment in a hospital and is in a critical situation. The patient is “courageously battling this virus.”
The spokesperson of the town has outlined that their experts have been considering lockdowns as recommendations.
The official statement by the health experts has outlined, “We want to educate our residents about EEE and the seriousness of the illness and make them aware of the risk.” It furthermore added, “However, if they want to use town fields outside these recommendations, they will have to show proof of insurance and sign an indemnification form.”
In addition to this, the official email read, “Schools are working to reschedule and adjust their sports schedules so practices and games occur before these evening times and on weekends.”
The spokesperson has confirmed that all four critically risk communities have been issuing the same recommendations.
EEE – the reason behind lockdown!
EEE is also called Eastern Equine Encephalitis. The infection is caused by a bite of an infected mosquito. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described the illness as a “rare but serious disease.”
Furthermore, the health agency mentioned, “Eastern equine encephalitis can cause brain infection (encephalitis), which can be fatal.” As per the details shared by the health agency, during recent years, the United States has reported very few cases, and most of the cases are reported in the Eastern or Gulf Coast states.
The CDC further elaborated that the humans and animals who contract the virus are considered “dead-end hosts,” which highlighted that they can’t spread the infection.
Some of the common symptoms of EEE include fever, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, stiff neck, seizures, behavioral changes, and drowsiness. Generally, these symptoms appear within five to 10 days of being bitten. The disease is deadly for around 30 percent of the infected people.
While addressing the same, the chief of infectious diseases at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center – Edward Liu, stated, “Eastern equine encephalitis can cause brain infection (encephalitis), which can be fatal.”
According to Liu, the most vulnerable people to the infection are older people and those who are immunocompromised.
Along with this, the vice chief of innovation in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at the University of California, San Deigo – Dr John Ayers, stated that EEE is a “serious but extraordinarily rare” disease, according to the report by Fox News.
He also mentioned, “Without any overt prevention measures, cases remain substantially rarer than being struck by lightning.”