Over the summer, cases of EEE spread across New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and other New England states, each also breaking records for the region.

Syracuse, NY -- The death of a New York resident from eastern equine encephalitis last week shows the need for more federal help to combat mosquito-borne viruses, Sen. Chuck Schumer said Tuesday in Syracuse. The Ulster County death was the first in the state from EEE since 2015. But it shows a growing problem, Schumer said.

Eastern equine encephalitis virus is a rare disease that is transmitted by various species of mosquitoes. Experts say that while cases are few and far between, and most people who contract the diseases are asymptomatic, the most severe cases can prove fatal.

Tests conducted by the state health laboratories revealed one positive finding of Eastern equine encephalitis — the rare but potentially deadly disease known as EEE — and one positive finding of West Nile Virus from the same sample collected in Cumberland, according to a statement from the Department of Environmental Management.

On Sept. 19, the City of Waltham posted on their news page that State Health Officials have found a mosquito infected with West Nile virus in Waltham. The mosquito was found in the Northeast Quadrant of Waltham and tested positive on Sept. 11.

At least 10 EEE cases have been reported across the country this year, with one death confirmed in New Hampshire. Besides EEE, dengue fever and West Nile virus are the most common mosquito-borne diseases in the US.

West Nile Virus has been detected in mosquitoes at a park in Montgomery County, according to Dayton & Montgomery County Public Health. The mosquitoes were found in traps set up at Oak Grove Park in Washington Township.

“While we normally see these mosquitoes in two to three counties each year, this year they have been in 15 counties so far, and scattered all over New York State. This life-threatening mosquito-borne disease has no commercially available human vaccine and must be taken seriously.