Department of Medicine

Infectious disease specialist Timothy Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of medicine

(SEPTEMBER 9, 2024) Infectious disease specialist Timothy Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of medicine, spoke to the (UVM) Vermont Cynic about Vermont Department of Health (VDH) warnings about the presence of eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, in the local area.

Eastern equine encephalitis is caused by a virus transmitted by an infected mosquito. EEE occurs in about 4 to 5 percent of people infected with the virus, according to the CDC. So far this mosquito season, 47 groups of mosquitoes across 11 towns tested positive for EEE virus, compared to 14 groups across 3 towns in 2023, according to an Aug. 28 VDH press release. A human case was reported in Chittenden County in August, the first in the state since 2012, according to VDH.

According to VDH, most people with the virus won’t experience symptoms. People infected may experience a fever and body aches, just like any infection can cause, Lahey said. “But then people will start to behave strangely or get confused or have a seizure [or] have neurological symptoms that signal that something’s really wrong. And that happens as the virus begins to infect the brain and cause inflammation that makes things malfunction.”

Lahey, an infectious disease physician at the UVM Medical Center, recommends people be conscious of optional exposure to mosquitoes and use DEET-containing insect repellent, especially at dawn and dusk.

“I’ve actually had some patients say, ‘Gosh, should I just not go outside?’ And we’re like, ‘No, no, no, no, live your life, but just take some measures,” Lahey said.