Twenty-four hours after Kenny Fleshman thought he had food poisoning in August, he was unconscious and fighting for his life in the medical intensive care unit at Erlanger Health System.
He spent his 35th wedding anniversary in the hospital, but he doesn’t remember.
“I remember being unloaded and after that [my memory] is all gone, for a week,” Fleshman said.
There, he was diagnosed with eastern equine encephalitis virus – commonly called EEE or triple E – a rare cause of brain infections that can lead to death or lifelong neurologic problems. The virus is transmitted to humans through a mosquito bite. Typically, only a few cases are reported in the United States each year. Fleshman is the first case ever reported in Tennessee, according to a Tennessee Department of Health spokesperson.
And although he survived, which is better than about 30% of people infected with EEE, every aspect of his life is changed, he said.