State raises EEE risk to high in 6 Worcester County towns, recommends rescheduling events
Mosquitoes have tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis in Sutton and Southbridge, the state Department of Public Health announced.
As a result of the findings, the state has raised the EEE risk level to high in the communities of Douglas, Dudley, Oxford, Southbridge, Sutton and Webster. The risk has been increased to moderate in Auburn, Charlton, Grafton, Millbury and Northbridge.
In communities with a high risk, the Department of Public Health recommends rescheduling outdoor events to avoid the hours between dusk and dawn.
The positive tests came from mosquitoes sampled Monday and followed previous positive tests in Douglas and Southbridge.
No human or animal cases of EEE have been detected in Massachusetts so far this year; a donkey has tested positive in Rhode Island.
EEE is a rare but serious and potentially fatal disease in people, who usually contract it through a bite from an infected mosquito.
The last significant outbreak of EEE in New England came in 2019, when 12 people in Massachusetts were infected and six died.
“The mosquitoes that are most likely to spread EEE are most active between the hours of dusk and dawn,” said Dr. Catherine M. Brown, state epidemiologist, according to a news release. “But mosquitoes also try to bite during the day, in the shade or when it is cloudy; they also thrive in humid weather. Use mosquito repellents any time you are outdoors and if you find yourself swatting mosquitoes anyway, move indoors to get away from them.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 6 towns in Massachusetts at high risk for Eastern equine encephalitis
