“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.

A New York resident who contracted the first confirmed human case of Eastern equine encephalitis in the state in nearly a decade has died, according to the governor's office.

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.