NEW JERSEY — A deadly virus has quadrupled in New Jersey since last year, health officials said. And the disease that's associated with horses has spread to humans, and there's evidence that it's spread to 11 counties in the state (see list below).

The New Jersey Department of Health says 48 mosquito samples have tested positive for the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus, also referred to as "EEE" or "Triple E," according to a department release. Last year at this time, 10 samples tested positive. Eastern equine encephalitis is a rare but potentially deadly illness for humans. The disease is also a concern for horses, though a vaccine is available and recommended for them. Both EEE and West Nile virus are transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito.



In severe cases of EEE, a person may experience encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, that may result in death. The mortality rate of those that develop EEE is about 33 percent, the highest among human arbovirus cases reported in the United States, the DOH said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the disease has spread nationwide, infecting humans in more than 20 states.

Here is where it was found in New Jersey (number of samples): Morris 8 Burlington 7 Monmouth 7 Atlantic 6 Camden 5 Gloucester 5 Ocean 3 Sussex 3 Salem 2 Cape May 1 Warren 1 Currently, there is no human vaccine for EEE and patients are treated with supportive care.

The DOH has confirmed the first human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis this summer in an elderly Somerset County man. The man was hospitalized but has been discharged for continued rehabilitation care.

Most persons infected with Eastern Equine Encephalitis have no apparent illness. Severe cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis begin with the sudden onset of headache, high fever, chills and vomiting 4 to 10 days after a mosquito bite, according to the release.

The illness may then progress to disorientation, seizures or coma.

Clinicians are asked to consider Eastern Equine Encephalitis in people with compatible symptoms and contact their local health department to ask about testing for the virus. Laboratory testing for Eastern Equine Encephalitis is only available at the State Public Health and Environmental Laboratories.