A father was left fighting for his life after contracting three mosquito-borne viruses at the same time in an astonishingly rare case.
Joe Casey, 55, was in a coma for three weeks after being bitten in his hometown in New Hampshire in August – when he woke he could not walk or talk.
The father-of-four contracted eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), the West Nile virus and St Louis encephalitis, presumably from a mosquito carrying all three pathogens.
Doctors were shocked because, combined, the three viruses only infect around 1,000 Americans every year.
The toll of fighting all three illnesses ravaged Mr Casey’s immune system, causing his brain to swell from excess fluid, putting intense pressure on brain cells.
Joe Casey (pictured here), 55, fell into a coma in August after being infected with the deadly mosquito-borne illnesses eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), the West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis
Mr Casey told WCAX: ‘Don’t underestimate the size of the villain here. You just have to be ready and be prepared’
This week, days after Mr Casey was finally released from the hospital, he urged Americans to remain vigilant about disease-ridden mosquitoes, which are becoming increasingly common in the US.
He told WCAX: ‘Don’t underestimate the size of the villain here. You just have to be ready and be prepared.’
He also urged parents to use mosquito repellent sprays outside on themselves and their children. It’s unclear if he was wearing any repellent when he was bitten.
EEE is a virus that circulates around areas with freshwater swamps, such as the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, the Great Lakes, and the Caribbean.
Mosquitoes spread the illness to mammals like horses and humans, and humans cannot spread the disease to each other.
However, the virus is extremely rare in humans, with just under a dozen cases a year.
One in three patients with EEE are expected to die, and those who survive often face a host of long-term effects like brain damage, personality changes, seizures, intellectual disabilities, and paralysis due to the brain swelling.
So far this year, 16 Americans have been infected with EEE, including fellow New Hampshire native Steven Perry. The 41-year-old died in mid August after becoming the state’s first human case in 10 years.
A number of Americans have died from mosquito-borne illnesses like EEE this year. EEE is spread only via mosquitos and kills up to one in three patients
The above map shows the counties where EEE has been detected between so far this year. The dark blue areas represent places with human cases
Mr Casey spent three weeks in a coma and another seven weeks in intensive physical therapy, as the illnesses left him unable to walk or talk. He is now warning others to remain vigilant about warding off mosquitos
Mr Casey also tested positive for St Louis Encephalitis, which affects only a couple dozen Americans per year.
Spread by mosquitoes in North and South America, humans can become infected when mosquitos feed on infected birds and bite people.
The US reported 20 human cases last year. Up to one in five patients die from the illness.
Lastly, Mr Casey was found to have antibodies from West Nile virus, which hospitalized Dr Anthony Fauci over the summer.
He said that while he doesn’t remember much, he does recall he ‘had never felt so ill in my life.’
Cases of the mosquito-borne illness have been rising in recent years, with about 2,500 cases recorded last year — more than double the 1,130 in 2022.
Experts say these figures are likely a vast undercount, however, because most people who catch the virus are not tested for it.
There are about 150 deaths from the disease every year. In 2024, 289 cases have been reported so far in 33 states.
