After the death of a 41-year-old man, concerns are growing in the northeastern United States about Eastern equine encephalitis, a virus transmitted by mosquitoes, but is it only present on the Quebec side?
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The doctor explained that Eastern equine encephalitis is part of the arboviruses, or viruses transmitted through mosquito bites.S Karl Weiss, a microbiologist specializing in infectious diseases at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal.
“For example, in Quebec, the most common thing is West Nile virus, which we see cases of very regularly,” he explained in an interview with LCN on Wednesday.
In the vast majority of cases, this type of disease does not pose many problems to humans.
“We should not panic. Most of the time the disease is benign.”
“It's a particular problem for older adults who are more likely to have sometimes severe neurological consequences,” he said.
Far from being a new virus, Eastern equine encephalitis causes symptoms of headache, fever, vomiting or diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, and drowsiness.
However, there are several reasons that could explain the presence of these arboviruses in Quebec, such as the fact that the province experienced a “very wet” year, which led to the formation of pools of water that encourage mosquito breeding.
Rising temperatures are still highly debated as a factor, and could also be related to longer spring and fall seasons, which leave more time for the mosquito cycle.
Watch the full interview in the video above.
