AUGUSTA — The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention says eastern equine encephalitis, a potentially fatal disease in humans, has been confirmed in more mosquito pools in Alfred, as well as in York.

Dr. Sheila Pinette, director of Maine CDC, says additional positive tests are likely.

EEE was first identified from mosquitoes collected from a pool in Alfred on July 16, marking the earliest the disease has been confirmed in Maine. It’s also been confirmed in neighboring states.

The virus is transmitted from the bite of an infected mosquito.

So far, there’s never been a human infected in Maine but the disease was found in a flock of pheasants last year and in multiple animals in Maine in 2009. Health officials recommend bug repellent and clothing to protect against mosquito bites.


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