Inside STAT: What to know about EEE, a mosquito-borne virus on the rise

MOSQUITOES IN A PETRI DISH. (DARREN MCCOLLESTER/GETTY IMAGES)

If you don’t live in one of the six states that have reported 20 cases of EEE so far this year, you might not be familiar with Eastern equine encephalitis. Massachusetts — a historic hotspot for the virus — has recorded nine cases and Michigan reported seven. Other states that have seen cases in 2019 are New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Six of the infected people have died to date. The good news is that EEE is not common at all. But the bad news is that the infections can be severe. Have more questions? STAT’s Helen Branswell answers them here. As she says, if it hasn’t hit your radar yet, it likely will.