DANGER: Infected Mosquitoes Causing Death, Illness in Alabama

One Alabama citizen has already died from this mosquito-borne illness.

Take precautions NOW.

The Alabama Department of Public Health has issued a warning across the entire state. They call the illness EEE.

It stands for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and this thing is DANGEROUS.

The health department says EEE can cause "severe illness and death." And even worse: there is no vaccine and no treatment.

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In the past few weeks, two cases of EEE have been reported in Baldwin County. The spread there resulted in one fatality.

The CDC says this disease kills nearly a third of people infected. And even those who recover can be left with "long-term physical or mental impairments," including seizures, paralysis, and personality disorders.

So what can we do?

A few things, actually.

First keep in mind that this illness is rare. The Alabama Department of Public Health included that in their report.

They also outlined many preventative measures we can take, such as:

• Using bug spray
• Wearing long sleeves and pants when possible
• Using air conditioning or screens on windows and doors
• Emptying outside objects that can hold standing water

By taking all these measures, we can help prevent a crisis.

Stay safe out there.