PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis are making their annual appearances despite a hot, dry summer that has reduced mosquito populations in parts of the Northeast.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says West Nile virus is cropping up in mosquito pools and in people across the Northeast and across the nation. The CDC also says there have been at least nine human cases of EEE.
The hot, dry summer may have reduced mosquito numbers in the Northeast, but it hasn’t eliminated mosquito-borne diseases. In fact, the CDC’s Roger Nasci (NAH’-see) says the warm spring may have allowed mosquitoes to begin breeding earlier, allowing the viruses to amplify over the course of the summer.
So far, Maine is the only state in the region to be untouched by EEE and West Nile.
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