More than half of the state of Massachusetts is under a high or critical risk of a deadly mosquito-borne virus.
Ten of the state’s 14 counties have been issued warnings of an elevated presence of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), also called ‘Triple E.’
A curfew in Oxford County – home to 13,300 residents about 50 miles from Boston – was approved last week after a resident was the first human to contract the untreatable disease in the state in four years. The 80-year-old has been hospitalized in critical condition with EEE.
Now the town of Plymouth – home to 60,800 residents about 40 miles from Boston – will close outdoor recreation areas from dusk until dawn every day because a horse in the town tested positive for the virus.
The curfews and closures come amid heightened fears of mosquito-borne diseases as Dr Anthony Fauci was hospitalized for six days this month after being infected with the potentially deadly West Nile Virus.
And officials are hoping the rules will push people inside during peak mosquito hours and reduce exposure to infected insects.
Triple E causes a fever and brain swelling and can lead to seizures and comas.
One-third of people infected with EEE die and those who recover are often left with lifelong physical and mental difficulties.
The town of Plymouth announced Friday it would close all public parks and fields from dusk – which falls around 8 pm – to dawn – approximately 5:30 am.
Officials say the curfew is ‘in response to Plymouth’s HIGH risk status’ of EEE.
‘Athletic leagues and other organizations utilizing public parks and fields will be prohibited from continuing outdoor activities beyond dusk.’
While the EEE-positive horse prompted the high status, there have also been EEE-infected mosquitos identified in Plymouth, Barnstable and Essex counties.
The Plymouth County Mosquito Control Project is continuously spraying requested neighborhoods and will ground spray all public parks, fields and schools this week.
The dusk curfew in Oxford county is only a recommendation – not a rule.
But the local school district will be enforcing it, meaning after-school programs and sports may be canceled, ended early or moved indoors – something many parents, students and athletes are taking issue with.
Nearly 1,000 Oxford residents have signed an online petition to keep sports fields open.
The state’s Department of Public Health announced over the weekend it plans to conduct aerial spraying for mosquitos in Plymouth and Worcester counties as 10 communities in Massachusetts have been raised to high or critical risk for EEE.
EEE symptoms typically begin within four to 10 days of being bitten with an infected mosquito, according to the CDC.
Most people infected do not display symptoms but those who develop serious cases will experience fever, chills. body aches and joint pain.
For mild cases, recovery takes about one to two weeks and people will likely recover completely if the infection does not affect the central nervous system, the CDC added.
However, people with serious cases can develop meningitis – swelling of brain and spinal cord – or encephalitis – swelling of the brain.
These symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, drowsiness and even coma.
There is no specific treatment for EEE but doctors will provide supportive care to manage symptoms, such as pain medications and hydrating fluids.
For the approximately 33 percent of people with EEE who die, death typically occurs about two to 10 days after onset of symptoms.
For people who survive, they are left with brain damage and ongoing disabilities that require long-term care. They may die within a few years after recovering from the initial infection, the CDC added.
Only a handful of EEE cases are reported in the US every year and are most often in eastern or Gulf Coast states.
So far in 2024, two additional human cases of EEE have been reported in two other states – Vermont and New Jersey – and all three US patients have developed severe neuroinvasive cases.
A record 38 cases were reported in 2019.
Experts are concerned that the rise in temperatures, humidity and rainfall could lead to an increase in the virus.
The virus is only spread from mosquito to human (and horse) and there is no human-to-human or animal-to-human transmission.
To protect yourself against EEE, a public health advisory from the town of Oxford recommends wearing long sleeves and long pants, preventing standing and collecting water, which act as mosquito breeding grounds, applying insect repellent and avoiding peak mosquito hours from dusk until dawn.
