Mosquito-spread diseases continue to develop and impact lives. Recently another mosquito-spread virus – Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) – has caught the attention of the CDC. You may have heard it referred to as the EEE virus.
The EEE virus, though rare, is found in the eastern and southern US. On average, 7 cases are reported annually. EEEV is most commonly found around freshwater hardwood swamps by the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states and the Great Lakes. The mosquito species that carries EEEV primarily feed on avian hosts, but horses are also susceptible, hence the name. Fortunately, since the virus is seen mostly in swampy areas where humans are less likely to be found, the infection rate among humans is very low.
While confirmed infections of EEEV number only a handful, the symptoms of the virus are very dangerous. The infection can present itself in two types of illnesses – systemic or encephalitic. Systemic infection symptoms include chills, fever, malaise, joint pain, and muscle aches. These will generally clear up in a few days to weeks. Encephalitic infection is more serious and involves the swelling of the brain. A few signs are fever, headache, anorexia, vomiting, convulsions, and coma. Approximately one-third of all people with EEE die from the disease, and many who recover are left with mental and physical disabilities.1
Remember – only an average of 7 people in the US are confirmed to contract EEEV annually, so don’t freak out and take your family to live in an underground bunker! Knowing this information is just another reminder to ourselves to use proactive mosquito-repelling techniques.
The best way to prevent any infection from a mosquito is to prevent any mosquito bites in the first place. Dressing in long sleeves and pants, along with using protective sprays and repelling products will help. DEET and picaridin are not the only ways to keep the mosquitoes off. The CDC supports the use of oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), which is featured in our all-natural mosquito products line, to reduce exposure to mosquito bites.2
Our best mosquito blocker package is our Mosquito Bundle Pack, which includes a multitude of ways to repel mosquitoes:
- Bug Bands: 1 package of 12 multicolored mosquito-repelling bracelets
- Mosquito Repelling Incense Sticks: 3 packages of 10-pack outdoor incense sticks
- Natural Mosquito and Tick Repellent Spray: 2 bottles of family-friendly mosquito and tick repellent
- Bug Zapper Racket: 1 handheld electric zapper racket
- Mosquito Zap Trap: 1 hanging electric mosquito-zapping trap
All of these items can be purchased separately, but no sale price can beat the bundle savings! Individually the total for these products comes to $99.76, but bundled together you save $34.77!
References:
- “Eastern Equine Encephalitis | Eastern Equine Encephalitis | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019, www.cdc.gov/easternequineencephalitis/index.html.
- “Prevention | Eastern Equine Encephalitis | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019, www.cdc.gov/easternequineencephalitis/gen/pre.html.