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What is EEE? The mosquito-borne virus that killed a New Hampshire man, explained.
A New Hampshire man has died of eastern equine encephalitis, also called EEE, prompting questions about the rare mosquito-borne disease.
The 41-year-old was hospitalized due to severe central nervous system disease and died within a week. He was healthy and had no underlying conditions.
Eastern equine encephalitis is “exceedingly rare,” Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, said on “CBS Mornings” Wednesday.
“I only saw one case, that was about 20 years ago in Massachusetts, and most providers will never see a case of ‘Triple E,’ as we call it,” she said.
The virus typically spreads in certain swamps, including red maple and white cedar swamps in Massachusetts, and experts think horses may be a host animal, hence the word “equine” in the name.
“This is something that we see with many infectious diseases — that the host might be another animal, maybe a bat, which is what we suspect with COVID, for example, or with Ebola,” Gounder said. “But in this case, what we think is happening is horses, perhaps other animals are the host. Mosquitoes are biting them and then transmitting that infection to humans.”
There have been three additional cases of eastern equine encephalitis in the U.S. this year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one each in New Jersey, Vermont and Wisconsin.
CDC Director Mandy Cohen warned that a warming climate is also affecting these kinds of outbreaks.
“The impact of heat on our health and climate change is not only impacting us as humans, but it’s changing where mosquitoes and ticks live, and thus what diseases are moving around in different regions. We’re just seeing more bugs, and some of those bugs are becoming resistant to our control methods resistant bugs,” Cohen told CBS News.
EEE symptoms
Most people infected with eastern equine encephalitis don’t develop symptoms, but some can come down with fever or swelling of the brain.
According to the CDC, symptoms can also include:
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Seizures
- Behavioral changes
- Drowsiness
“Approximately 30% of people with eastern equine encephalitis die, and many survivors have ongoing neurologic problems,” the CDC notes.
How to protect against EEE
There are no vaccines to prevent eastern equine encephalitis and no medicines to treat it, so the best way to not get sick is avoiding bug bites.
To do this, experts suggest:
- Using insect repellent
- Wearing long-sleeved clothing
- Staying indoors when mosquitoes are out
- Draining standing water
People in some areas of Massachusetts have been warned to stay indoors when mosquitoes are most active, typically at dusk and dawn. Authorities in the state are also using trucks and planes to spray vulnerable areas with insecticide.
Controlling mosquitoes is an important step, Gounder said.
“There are some newer technologies there to control mosquitoes that don’t involve pesticides. Some of those are being piloted in place like the Florida Keys, where you have lots of mosquitoes, but we still have a lot to go in terms of developing treatments or vaccines,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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