Triple E mosquito puts Scot in coma

A Scottish man is currently in a coma in hospital after being bitten by a deadly Triple E mosquito in the US.

Michael Nicholson from West Lothian is the first victim of the bug, known as eastern equine encephalitis, which is regarded as one of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases on the North American continent.

The 35-year-old has been admitted to Edinburgh hospital and is thought to have been bitten during a fishing trip in New Hampshire this summer.

"There is no cure and there is no vaccine, so all you can do is try to prevent yourself being bitten," said Mr Nicholson's sister, Sharan McKenzie.

"You don't think there is going to be a risk if you get bitten by a mosquito in somewhere like the US or Spain. So we had no idea this would be so devastating. The more people know about it the better."

If he survives, Mr Nicholson is expected to be severely disabled.

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