Mosquitoes in a York County town have tested positive for a disease that can cause brain swelling.
Eastern equine encephalitis virus was found among a population of mosquitoes in Lebanon recently, according to Lindsay Hammes, a spokesperson for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
It’s the first time that eastern equine encephalitis has been detected in Maine since 2019. That year a horse was infected with the virus.
The illness hasn’t been confirmed in any Mainers so far this year. No human in Maine has been infected with the virus since 2015, and the first case of a human contracting it happened in 2014.
Not all people infected with the virus will show symptoms of the virus. Common symptoms include fever and a flu-like illness, while in severe cases the virus can cause brain swelling and meningitis, Hammes said Wednesday.
Eastern equine encephalitis can, in some cases, be fatal.
This comes about a month after the Maine CDC confirmed the presence of Jamestown Canyon virus among mosquitoes in Wells in York County. Like eastern equine encephalitis, Jamestown Canyon virus can cause brain swelling and be fatal in severe cases.
While both diseases are spread by mosquitoes, they can’t be spread human to human or from other animals to humans, according to Hammes.
Anyone who believes they have contracted the viruses should contact their health providers.