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Mosquito-Borne Illness Deadlier Than West Nile Virus Confirmed In New Jersey, Health Officials Say

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) — New Jersey's Health Department has confirmed its first case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in a human this summer. The illness was found in Delaware earlier this summer.

Health officials warn that EEE can be deadlier than West Nile Virus.

The department says an elderly Somerset County man was hospitalized, but has since been discharged for continued rehabilitation care.

Mosquito-Borne Illness Found In Delaware Is Deadlier Than West Nile Virus, Experts Warn

Most people infected by the mosquito-borne illness have no apparent signs. But health officials say severe cases involving an inflammation of the brain begin with the sudden onset of headaches, high fevers, chills and vomiting. The illness may lead to disorientation, seizures or coma.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been detected in 22 mosquito samples and in three horses in the southern and eastern sections of New Jersey.

(©Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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