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New Hampshire man fighting for life after testing positive for 3 mosquito viruses, including EEE
KENSINGTON, NH – A New Hampshire man is in the hospital after he was bitten by a mosquito. Now he is testing positive for three mosquito-borne viruses, including eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).
“He’s my brother. It’s very difficult, especially since it is from a mosquito,” said Angela Barker, fighting back tears.
Barker’s brother-in-law, 54-year-old Joe Casey, is fighting for his life after he was bitten by a mosquito.
Man tests positive for three mosquito-borne viruses
Doctors at Exeter Hospital say Casey has tested positive for three different antibodies, including EEE.
“He was positive for EEE, for West Nile, and St. Louis Encephalitis, but the CDC, the infectious disease doctors don’t know which one is making him this sick,” Barker said.
Barker said Casey started to feel sick back in early August. He now has swelling in the brain and is barely able to communicate.
“My brother-in-law is not a small man, and to see someone that you love be as sick as he is and not be able to talk, to move, to communicate for over three weeks is terrifying and gut-wrenching,” Barker said.
Casey’s family believes he will have a long road to recovery ahead of him, but he has his wife, Kim, and four kids to support him. His family also set up an online fundraising page and has received an outpouring of support from the community.
“Joe is going to have to go a long-term care and patient rehabilitation, that’s going to be 24-hour care, and really want to get the word out to help this incredible family,” Barker said.
EEE infection “can happen to anybody”
Last week, 41-year-old Steven Perry of Hampstead, N.H., died after contracting EEE.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed that Kensington has at least one mosquito pool that is testing positive for EEE. The town has sent out postcards notifying the residents, and the threat level has been raised to high.
Casey’s family wants to warn people to be careful.
“Be safe, cover up, wear bug spray. It can happen to anybody, and that’s the scariest thing. Be careful and take proper precautions,” Barker said.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.