New York: An American man died last week after being infected with a rare mosquito-borne virus that attacks brain, the New York Post reported.
Richard Pawulski, 49, of Colchester, Connecticut, contracted Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) while working in his garden in August 2019.
The virus that kills almost 30% of patients is threatening to make a comeback in the area on the East Coast.
It is reported that those survive the virus attack will be left with neurologic issues and other lasting impairments.
Pawulski, who died after five-year battle with the disease, first developed severe migraines alongside vomiting yellow bile.
He died on Monday a week after he was admitted into a hospice where doctors said they could not do ‘much else’ for him, according to his daughter Amellia Pawulski.
Amellia 18, added that ‘life can change in the blink of an eye, because that was what happened to us’.
Eastern equine encephalitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), caused by the bite of an infected mosquito.
A rare but serious disease, symptoms of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioural changes and drowsiness, according to the report.
As there is no effective treatment or vaccine to treat eastern equine encephalitis, preventing mosquito bites is the only protection against it.