recent cases of a viral illness nicknamed Triple E have occurred in New England affecting Massachusetts New Hampshire and other states Triple E is another name for eastern equine en sephtis ee a potentially deadly viral illness that people can catch from mosquitoes the virus behind the disease is called the ee virus or simply eeev the mosquito species kicetta melanura passes the virus that causes e to birds whose blood it feeds on from there other mosquito species bite the birds and later pass the virus to mammals including horses and humans people can get the virus only from a mosquito bite not from infected people horses or Birds data suggest that most people exposed to the virus through a mosquito bite don't have any symptoms when people do get sick they may have fever chills body aches and joint pain or a more serious illness in which the virus invades the central nervous system meaning the brain and spinal cord