Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus — Old Enemy, New Threat

Over the past decade, we have witnessed a sustained resurgence of eastern equine encephalitis virus activity within long-standing foci in the northeastern United States and northward expansion into regions where the virus was historically rare or previously unknown. Last summer, Vermont documented its first human cases of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a mosquito-borne disease that is endemic in the eastern United States. Since the discovery of EEE virus in the 1930s, cases in humans had been sporadic and restricted to areas south of northern New England until a disease outbreak struck New Hampshire in 2005. 1 Over the past decade, we have witnessed a sustained resurgence of EEE virus activity within long-standing foci in the northeastern United States and northward expansion into regions where the virus was historically rare or previously unknown, including northern New England and eastern Canada. . . .