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.

New York's first person to contract Eastern equine encephalitis -- or EEE -- in almost a decade has died, the governor's office announced Monday as the state declared the virus an "imminent threat to public health.

“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.

The rare and deadly mosquito-borne illness known as Eastern equine encephalitis was identified in New York for the first time in over a decade last week and the person who contracted it has since died from the virus, the state’s governor announced Monday, making them the second person to die from the infection this season.

The first person in New York state to be diagnosed with eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in nearly a decade died, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced Monday.

Officials reported than an individual has died from EEE, and the state is advising people to stay safe while taking precautions.