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HAMPSTEAD, N.H. (WHDH) - The family of a 41-year-old Hampstead, New Hampshire man has confirmed their loved one recently died due to the EEE.
State officials on Tuesday said an adult died due to the virus but did not identify the person by age or by name.
In an obituary, family members of Steven Scott Perry said passed away at Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday of last week “after being stricken by a sudden and rare brain infection.” The family said through their funeral director that the infection was a result of EEE.
“Steven will forever be in our hearts, remembered for his warmth, spirit, and the love he shared with all who knew him,” Perry’s family said in his obituary.
News of Perry’s death comes as officials throughout New England grapple with the rising threat of EEE, which is transmitted through bites by infected mosquitoes.
New Hampshire had not recorded a human case of EEE since 2014. Though officials confirmed Perry had EEE, they did not immediately know where he was infected.
As of Tuesday, experts had not detected EEE in any mosquito samples within Hampstead.
“We know it’s around the area,” said Hampstead Chief Building Officials Kristopher Emerson. “We just haven’t had a positive batch in town.”
Eastern Equine Encephalitis, known as EEE, is rare but potentially deadly. About 30% of people who are infected die, according to the CDC.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services tracks the spread of EEE and other mosquito-borne viruses including West Nile Virus and Jamestown Canyon Virus. In its latest update earlier this month, the department had raised the risk level for such illnesses in several communities near Lake Winnipesaukee to moderate or high.
The Department of Health and Human Services also raised the risk level to moderate for several communities along the Massachusetts border.
While public officials contend with the virus, people who knew Steven Scott Perry shared their memories.
“Everybody will remember him different,” said Perry’s neighbor, Roger Fletcher. “But he was a young, vibrant guy even at 41-years-old.”
“I really don’t know what to make of it,” Fletcher continued. “You’re not used to that kind of thing happening. It’s really sad.”
Outside New Hampshire, officials have documented human cases of EEE in Vermont and Massachusetts.
Facing a new wave of infections, Dr. Catherine Brown from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said climate change may be playing a role through changes including warming temperatures, changes in migratory bird patterns, and changes in precipitation.
In Massachusetts, crews were busy on the ground and in the air Tuesday, distributing pesticide in parts of Worcester and Plymouth county.
In New Hampshire, officials were distributing flyers Wednesday alerting residents to planned mosquito spraying at fields in the Hampstead area on Friday.
Experts say people over the age of 50 and young children are at the greatest risk from EEE. With the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses expected to linger until frost kills the mosquito population, officials have urged people to protect themselves by using bug spray, wearing long sleeves and pants, and avoiding outdoor activities when mosquitoes are active, if possible.
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