Residents of two American states have been urged to stay at home in the evening due to the spread of a rare virus transmitted by mosquitoes, writes the Daily Mail.
Vermont has become the second state after Massachusetts to begin postponing planned public events because of the risk of people contracting the deadly eastern equine encephalitis (EEV). This viral disease originates in horses and is transmitted by mosquitoes. Once inside the human body, in about 30% of cases it can cause cerebral edema and even death.
The Vermont Department of Health "strongly recommends" that residents of the state stay outside between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., when the blood-sucking insects are most active.
Shortly before that, curfews were imposed in some Massachusetts counties because of the disease. Although VEL is extremely rare in the US, a New Hampshire man could not be saved in August. On average, there are about 11 infections with this virus per year in the United States. What's more, it wasn't until this August that Vermont reported its first case, dating back to 2012.
Doctors have already found 47 groups of mosquitoes carrying VEL in 11 small towns and 3 cities. As a result, the city of Burlington's annual Oktoberfest has been canceled. This event is considered one of the most popular and famous in Vermont. A number of music and food festivals were also cancelled. Organizers reacted to such measures with understanding, but complained about the loss of invested funds.
It was previously reported that Oropush fever, for which there is no vaccine, has reached Europe. In the past two months, there have been 19 cases of infection with the potentially deadly new virus. | BGNES
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