Virus-carrying mosquitoes are most commonly associated with exotic swamp lands in Africa and Asia, but recently, parts of Onondaga County are breeding grounds for them as well.

County researchers have found a slightly higher population of mosquitoes that carry the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus in their samplings this year than in most years.

“There is a lot of EEE out there near that Cicero Swamp area,” said Lisa Letteney, the director of Onondaga County’s Environmental Health Assessment. “We’ve found positive pools from Cicero Swamp almost every week starting right in the beginning of July so it’s important that people really protect themselves from mosquito bites.”

EEE is a rare illness that causes brain swelling. Other symptoms include headache, fever, chills and vomiting.  In later stages, the disease may also cause disorientation, seizures or coma. According to the CDC website, there is a 33 percent mortality rate among people who catch the disease in the United States.

Letteney said that her office has set up 22 mosquito traps throughout the county where they collect samples to be tested for West Nile virus and EEE.  Letteney said they usually find 10–17 pools that test positive for EEE on average each year.  This year they have found 22 and they are likely to find more by the end of the season. Most of the pools have been found in the Cicero Swamp area.  One pool was found in Ley Creek in Salina.

“We definitely have EEE in our environment and we will see it every year,” Letteney said.

Letteney said that every year her office publishes an educational message about how to avoid mosquito bites. She recommends that residents use mosquito repellents, especially ones that contain DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.  She also recommended that people try to eliminate standing bodies of water in their yards, including birdbaths.

Despite the warnings to be aware of viruses and diseases carried by mosquitoes, freshman biology major, Ivan Figueroa chooses not to worry about the precaution. Figueroa said that because he is from Miami, he is used to mosquitoes due to the humidity in the area near his home.

“Mosquitoes basically run rampant so I’ve become accustomed to ignoring them,” Figueroa said. “Whether or not they carry a virus will not change how I deal with them.”

Ben Domingo, the director of SU’s health services, said that the symptoms for EEE are very similar to the symptoms for other illnesses, like the flu.  He stressed the difficulty that doctors and other health professionals face in diagnosing these diseases because of their similarity.

“What you have is a paranoid public and every time somebody ends up getting a fever, they think that there’s something really, really awful that they’re contracting,” Domingo said.

Domingo emphasized the rarity of the disease, and added that even if a carrier-mosquito bites someone, the chances of them getting EEE are still very low. He said one of his main aims is to “quell hysteria” about the disease and the likelihood of catching it.

“Something like EEE or Ebola hits the news and while it can be very devastating and rare and scary — really, (with) common sense protection and even being bitten by a mosquito with EEE, your chances are very low of developing (the disease),” Domingo said.

Published on September 3, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact: clmoran@syr.edu