GEOFF BENNETT: Parts of New England are# on high alert after health officials in## New Hampshire this week confirmed the first death## from the rare mosquito-borne virus# known as eastern equine encephalitis.
It brings the total number of confirmed human# infections in the U.S. this year to six,## including cases in Wisconsin, New Jersey# and the neighboring states of Vermont and## Massachusetts.
Meantime, hundreds of# cases of another illness transmitted## by mosquitoes -- that's West Nile virus# -- have been confirmed across 33 states.
It paralyzed a teenager in Missouri# and hospitalized Dr. Anthony Fauci.## The country's former top infectious# disease expert told the outlet STAT:## "I have never been as sick in my life."
To help us understand more about these viruses,## the risks they pose and how they spread,# we're joined now by Dr. Peter Hotez,## dean of the National School of Tropical# Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
Welcome back to the "News Hour."
DR. PETER HOTEZ, Baylor College of# Medicine: Thanks for having me, Geoff.
GEOFF BENNETT: We have now seen the first death# from the eastern equine encephalitis v.. Tell us more about this disease, how it spreads,# and why New England seems to be affected by it.
DR. PETER HOTEZ: Yes, it's called an alphavirus.
And we do see cases periodically, including# human cases and deaths.
And it tends .. disproportionately affect horses.
And that's# where the equine part comes into the name.## It circulates among birds.
And there's a# specific mosquito for the birds.
And then,## once it gets hold in the birds, different# mosquitoes can bite and transmit to humans.
So we don't usually see a lot of# cases.
I think my big concern is,## we're starting to see not only the eastern# equine cases, but, as you mentioned,## the West Nile virus cases.
And there's a bigger# problem going on in the Western Hemisphere,## where there's this big uptick in dengue# cases in Brazil, this other virus Oropouche.
We're seeing an expansion of yellow fever,# geography in Brazil to the fringes of the## Amazon.
So the big picture, I think, is that# we're seeing a general surge in vector-borne## diseases across the hemisphere.
Brazil and# parts of the Caribbean are ground zero,## but it's starting to filter in,# particularly in Texas and the Gulf Coast.
And this is -- could be a new normal for# us during this time of climate change,## together with urbanization and other factors.
GEOFF BENNETT: Well, in parts of Massachusetts,# health officials there are telling people to## avoid outdoor activity between dusk and# dawn.
They're conducting pesticide sprays.
How concerned should folks in that region be# and what more can they do to protect themselves?
DR. PETER HOTEZ: Well, the problem is, there's# not much room for error.
This is -- has a high## percentage of encephalitis and fatalities,# perhaps as high as 30 percent of the cases.
So this is definitely not one you want to# get.
I think the most important thing is,## if you do go outside, especially early# in the morning or in the evening,## you want to be fully covered with# long pants or sweatpants and socks## and sneakers and a hooded sweatshirt# if you're out in the morning and a hat.
And then, on the exposed parts, make# certain you use a good insect repellent,## preferably one with a high percentage# of DEET that you put on the dorsal and## palm or surface of your hands# and around your neck.
I mean,## that's what I do.
I like to get my 10,000# steps in and I do walks early in the morning,## sometimes before sunrise and in the evening, which# is a maximal time when mosquitoes are biting.
And, sometimes, my neighbors who are out in# shorts and T-shirts will look at me like I'm## a bit nuts.
And I use that as a teachable moment.# And I will explain to them, look, you have to be## really careful because West Nile is accelerating# right now, as well as other vector-borne diseases.## And there's risk now for ones transmitted by# the Aedes aegypti mosquito, including dengue.
And also we have ones that are arising# from Brazil.
So this is the peak time of## year for vector-borne disease, and it's# probably going to become our new normal.
GEOFF BENNETT: You mentioned West# Nile.
Let's talk more about it,## because we have seen nearly 300 cases across## the country.
What should we know about the# spread and severity of the West Nile virus?
DR. PETER HOTEZ: Well, Texas is getting# hit very hard.
So what we usually see in## the United States is a big peak in Texas# and the adjoining states in the southeast,## Mississippi and Louisiana, and then# going up into the Great Plains.
And there's North Dakota and Nebraska.# And then you also sometimes see foci in## New York and New Jersey, where the virus was# first discovered.
You have bad years and good## years for reasons that we don't entirely# understand.
2012 was a terrible year,## for instance.
And this one's looking like# it could be a pretty bad year as well.
And I'm worried that it's going# to become more and more like this,## that every year is going to become a# bad West Nile year, just like we could## see dengue coming into the U.S. Gulf Coast and# other diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.
So the West Nile is transmitted by the Culex# mosquitoes.
That's why we do insecticidal## spraying in the evening and the morning.
Aedes is# a little more difficult to control.
It requires## going house to house.
And we tend not# to do that much in the United States.
GEOFF BENNETT: Well, if this is the new normal,## mosquito-borne illness made worse by climate change, what more should we be doing to protect ourselves?
What# more could the federal government do?
DR. PETER HOTEZ: Yes, it's a good question.
I think we need to up our game in terms of doin.. our surveillance system in the U.S. is# extremely fragmented.
So, for instance,## if a patient comes into an emergency# room or a clinic and has what kind of## looks like it could be an arbovirus infection, a# mosquito-transmitted virus infection, they will## present with fever and rash and headache# and photophobia, being afraid of the light.
And the physician kind of shrugs his shoulders# and say, hmm, maybe it's an arbovirus infection,## maybe it's something else.
And by# the time you get the test back,## it stays later and sometimes even longer than that# because you have to send it to specialty labs.
So we don't have the point-of-care diagnostics# that we need.
And what we really need to do is## have a detailed map at a county-by-county# level of what's in our particular county.
And so one of the things that we're doing here# at Baylor College of Medicine and our National## School of Tropical Medicine, we're undertaking a# pretty sophisticated metagenomics project where## we're doing full sequencing of mosquitoes,# the full genome together with their viruses,## and also pairing it with wastewater testing, so# we can get that very detailed map of what's there,## so when a physician sees a patient that they# suspect could have one of these infections,## they will already know what's in the# flora and fauna of our local area.
And we don't do that currently.
GEOFF BENNETT: Dr. Peter Hotez, thanks, as# always, for your insights.
We appreciate it.
DR. PETER HOTEZ: Thank you.