Symptoms begin four to 10 days after mosquito bite. Symptoms may include fever, headache and vomiting. Health department encourages public to stay inside during peak bug times.
The Cicero Swamp tends to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes each year. Here, a plane sprays insecticide in over the swamp in 2004. Mosquitoes can carry Eastern Equine Encephalitis. Syracuse, NY -- An adult resident of Onondaga County has been diagnosed with Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Onondaga County Health Commissioner Cynthia D. Morrow said today.
The Onondaga County Health Department was notified of the diagnosis by the state, the commissioner said in a press release.
The release gave no information about the infected resident, except to say that the infected person is hospitalized and had spent significant time in an area previously known to have Eastern Equine Encephalitis activity.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE, is a rare viral infection. There are only 5 to 10 cases of EEE reported a year nationwide, Murrow said.
The virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. The virus can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
The county health department said the initial symptoms, which begin four to 10 days after the mosquito bite, can include fever, headache and vomiting. Untreated, the illness can progress to altered mental status, confusion, coma and death.
"People need to use protection. They need to use insect repellent," Murrow said.
The health department urges people to wear shoes, socks, long pants and long-sleeve shirts when outside for a long period of time. People should avoid being outside during mosquito feeding times at dawn and sunset. The use of insect repellent is also encouraged.
The hot beds of EEE bearing mosquitoes are in the Cicero, Toad Harbor and South Bay swamps near Oneida Lake, Murrow said.
Four mosquito pools collected last week on Island Road tested positive for EEE, according to the Onondaga County Health Department. Mosquitoes in two of the pools are human biters while mosquitoes in the other two pools are primarily bird biters.
The health department plans to spray 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, weather permitting.
The designated spray area in Cicero is bounded on the north by Route 31, on the west by Northern Boulevard, on the south by Taft Road and on the east by Chittenango Creek. Roads included in the area are all or parts of Route 298, Bull Street, Eastwood Road, Island Road, Cicero Center Road, Fergerson Road, Ferstler Road and Oxbow Road.