What are the symptoms of Eastern equine encephalitis?
Infection with EEE can cause a range of illnesses. Some people bitten by an infected mosquito will not develop any symptoms; others get only a mild flu-like illness with fever, headache, and fatigue. In rare cases, infection of the central nervous system occurs, causing sudden fever, muscle pains and a headache of increasing severity, often followed quickly by seizures and coma. Inflammation and swelling of the brain, called encephalitis, is the most dangerous complication. The case fatality rate for EEE (the percentage of people who develop the disease who will die) is between 30 – 70 percent. It is estimated that 35 percent of the people who survive EEE will have mild to severe disabilities.
