CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Throw on a long-sleeved shirt, spray on some bug repellent and please, won’t you change the water in your birdbath?

During the last week, preliminary results showed two people in New Hampshire tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis. Gov. John Lynch and state officials are asking the public to be vigilant about avoiding being bitten by mosquitoes, carriers of the potentially deadly virus. Lynch said all schools, state parks and public health networks have been told to provide information about the Triple-e virus and how to avoid it.

Horses and people get Eastern equine encephalitis from mosquitoes that have bitten by infected birds. There is a vaccine for horses, but not for people.

“No mosquito bites, no Triple-e, it’s that simple,” said John Stephen, health and human services commissioner.

With mosquito-bite season lasting about six more weeks, that means covering up outdoors, using bug repellent, and emptying or covering buckets, pools, tires, birdbaths and containers holding standing water where mosquitoes may breed.

Serious cases of encephalitis – inflammation of the brain – affects about four or five people a year, said William Kassler, state medical director. About a third of people who become infected die. About 30 percent of survivors are left with residual neurological symptoms. Those who live near water or swamps are most at risk; children under 15 and adults over 50 are more susceptible to serious symptoms like seizures and comas.

The two people who tested positive for Triple-e in preliminary tests, a middle-aged Londonderry woman and 4-year-old Goffstown boy, are recovering in hospitals. Final test results should be available by Friday.

But while the threat to the infected individual is high, there is no chance of a widespread outbreak because unlike the flu, Eastern equine encephalitis can’t be transmitted from person to person.

“This is a serious circumstance for the individuals who are affected and who may be affected in the future,” Kassler said. “But from a statewide perspective, from a population perspective and policy perspective, the risks are actually quite small.”

Triple-e is more prevalent in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Massachusetts. The last case in New Hampshire was reported in 1980. About 200 cases have been reported since 1964. Six cases were reported nationwide in 2004, including two deaths in Massachusetts.

Kassler said the increase in reported cases may be related to more stringent testing for West Nile Virus, another mosquito-borne illness, but it’s too early to predict trends.

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State Triple-e hot line: 1-866-273-6453

On the Net:

New Hampshire Eastern Encephalitis updates and preventive measures: www.nh.gov

AP-ES-08-23-05 1537EDT