14-Year-Old Bitten by Mosquito Contracts Rare Illness

The teen is still in the hospital.
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Savannah DeHart contracted Eastern Encephalitis, also known as EEE, earlier in August.

A mosquito bite has left a 14-year-old extremely sick after she developed a rare mosquito-borne disease. 

Savannah DeHart contracted Eastern equine encephalitis, also known as EEE, earlier in August, according to reports.

Since her diagnosis, the Michigan native has been put on a ventilator and can no longer communicate, according to a Facebook page created by her mother.

“She just kind of lays there for now. Her brain is trying to heal itself and she can’t do anything until that happens,” Kerri Dooley, Savannah’s mother, told WOOD-TV.

Dooley also told the station that Savannah’s symptoms started as just a headache but quickly progressed. Symptoms of the disease, including joint pain and fever, among others, usually show up between four to 10 days after being bitten.

EEE is very rare with around seven diagnosed cases a year. The CDC reports that people under age 15 and over 50 are more susceptible to the disease

Savannah's family has set up a Facebook page to give updates about her condition. 

“Talking with nurses and the doctor today, it is thought that it would be a good idea to give Savanah some much needed rest for the next few days to let her brain try to rest a little,” her mom wrote on Tuesday.

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