The patient was hospitalized with EEE in late August and died last week. Health officials also confirmed the state’s second human case of EEE in an adult who was hospitalized in late September.
In total, health officials have reported 20 EEE cases this year in six states: Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Six of the cases were fatal, according to STAT.
EEE is spread by mosquitoes and can cause a rare, sometimes fatal brain infection in humans. The U.S. typically sees about seven human cases of EEE each year, 30 percent of which are fatal, according to the CDC.
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