RISK IN PERSPECTIVE

Eastern equine encephalitis, like other mosquito-borne diseases, is a serious illness that often leads to death. The danger of contracting EEE, however, must be kept in perspective. Over the last 38 years, an average of fewer than 5 people have died each year from the disease. Precaution is in order; panic – such as canceling sporting events, which York High School has done – is not.

Last week, the Maine Bureau of Health announced that two horses in southern Maine had died of the disease, one in Lebanon and one in York. The Lebanon horse was the first mammal in Maine to die of EEE. No human in Maine has ever tested positive for EEE, but two New Hampshire residents died from the disease this year and five others were infected.

The disease can’t be contracted directly from a horse. Like West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis is carried by mosquitoes. The disease is more prevalent in southern, warmer states.

Of those who contract the disease, 35 percent die, according to the CDC, making it one of the most lethal mosquito-borne diseases in the country. Of those who survive, more than a third have permanent neurological damage. Symptoms range from mild flu-like illness to inflammation of the brain. There is no treatment for the disease in humans. Horses can be vaccinated against it.

Although it is a lethal disease, it is thankfully rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 182 Americans have died of the disease since 1964, over half of them in three states – Florida, Georgia and New Jersey.

The best advice is to avoid mosquitoes. To minimize the risk, remove any standing water – where mosquitoes breed – from your property. Try not to go outside at dusk when mosquitoes are most active and if you do go out wear pants, long-sleeved shirts and apply insect repellant. Cold weather will significantly reduce mosquito activity this fall.

While EEE is clearly a dangerous disease, the risk must be kept in perspective. According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 138 high school athletes died from sports injuries between 1982 and 2004.

That’s an average of more than 6 deaths per year just among high school students. The vast majority of the deaths – 94 – were among football players.

So the decision by York High School to cancel some games this week might have saved lives, just not for the reason they intended.