EEE has come to Vermont. Here’s what you need to know about this mosquito-based virus.
VTDigger
A blood-sucking creature that comes at dusk is frightening Vermonters this summer.
No, it’s not a vampire. It’s Culiseta melanura — one mosquito species responsible for spreading the eastern equine encephalitis virus, a rare and sometimes fatal disease.
A man in New Hampshire died of the disease in August, and a person in Chittenden County has recently tested positive for the virus. That case and an uptick in mosquitoes turning up with the virus led the Vermont Department of Health to issue an advisory last week recommending that Vermonters in several northwestern Vermont communities stay inside from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Those high-risk areas include Alburgh, Colchester, Swanton and Burlington, the state’s largest city. Several Burlington events, including Oktoberfest and the Intervale Center’s Summervale, have been canceled over EEE concerns.
Other events, like Burlington’s Twilight series, are scrambling to find indoor locations, according to mayor’s office spokesperson Joe Magee. Schools in high-risk areas are moving around sports practices and back-to-school events to protect against the virus, Vermont Public reported.