According to the Lansing State Journal, the biggest EEE outbreak in more than a decade has hit Michigan, leaving three dead and four others sick.

State officials have encouraged those in affected areas across Michigan to avoid the outdoors after dark when mosquitoes are most active.

Eastern equine encephalitis virus is a rare mosquito borne virus that can cause inflammation of the brain.

The virus carried by birds and transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes is deadly in 1 in 3 people who contract it and can cause brain damage and permanent neurological disabilities in those who survive.

Symptoms typically appear from 4 to 10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito, according to the CDC.

EEE symptoms include: sudden onset of fever, chills, body and joint aches, headache, disorientation, tremors, seizures, paralysis and coma.

For prevention tips, see this story.

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