Mosquito-borne disease found in 3 more Maine counties
By Christopher Burns, Bangor Daily News Staff
A mosquito-borne disease has been found in three more Maine counties.
So far this year, 13 of Maine’s 16 counties have seen confirmed presence of a mosquito-borne illness.
West Nile virus was found in wild birds in Piscataquis, Sagadahoc and Washington counties, according to Lindsay Hammes, a spokesperson for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
An alpaca in Lincoln County also has been infected with West Nile virus, Hammes said Monday afternoon.
Eastern equine encephalitis has now been found in a mosquito pool in Penobscot County and West Nile virus in one in Waldo County, the first instances of either virus appearing in those counties this year, according to the Maine CDC.
That comes as the state continues to see a sharp uptick in mosquito-borne illnesses, primarily among animals. So far this year, West Nile virus has been found in 33 birds, including in Bangor, Bar Harbor and Portland; eastern equine encephalitis has been found in four horses, two emus, one llama, one wild turkey and two other birds; and Jamestown Canyon virus has been found in four mosquito pools, including in Orono.
Last week, the Maine CDC announced that a Mainer from Cumberland County had been infected locally with West Nile virus, the first locally acquired case since 2020. Another Mainer also has contracted the virus but not locally.
A New Hampshire resident died last month after contracting eastern equine encephalitis, the first human infection in the Granite State in a decade.
The uptick in mosquito-borne viruses prompted the state Arboviral Public Health Panel to vote earlier this month to recommend that Gov. Janet Mills declare a public health emergency.
Maine CDC Director Puthiery Va urged Mainers and visitors alike to be “extra vigilant” against the threat of mosquito-borne viruses outside, saying that they can have “devastating effects on your health.”
“We urge you to take simple steps to prevent mosquito bites, wherever you are in Maine, especially during this high mosquito-activity, high-risk time,” Va said in a statement.
Eight in 10 people infected with West Nile virus never show symptoms. Symptoms of West Nile virus include body aches, diarrhea, fever, headaches, rashes or vomiting, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One in 150 people infected with the virus develop more severe symptoms, including brain swelling and spinal inflammation. About 1 in 10 people who develop severe infections die, according to the U.S. CDC.
There is no treatment for West Nile virus.
Much like West Nile, eastern equine encephalitis and Jamestown Canyon virus can cause body aches, fatigue, fever, headaches and joint pain, while more severe causes can result in brain swelling and spinal inflammation, sometimes resulting in death, according to the U.S. CDC.
Mainers can take precautions against these viruses by wearing insect repellant, long-sleeve shirts and long pants; draining pools of standing water; and installing or repairing broken window screens.