Staff Reports
A sudden wave of concern has enveloped Massachusetts as the scourge of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) makes an unwelcome return. One town, Plymouth, has taken drastic measures, shutting down its parks and recreational fields each evening after a horse in the area contracted the virus. This precautionary decision is set to last until dawn each day, illustrating that while it’s not quite the zombie apocalypse, it’s certainly getting close.
The situation worsens with four other towns—Douglas, Oxford, Sutton, and Webster—warning residents to avoid nighttime outdoor activities altogether, treating the evening hours as if they are a mosquito buffet. The common message from health officials is simple: wrap up outdoor fun by 6 p.m. until the end of September, and then by 5 p.m. later in the season, until frost puts the mosquitoes into a well-deserved hibernation. It seems that Massachusetts is rolling out the red carpet for those pesky pests, just in time for their favorite feeding hour.
Adding to the seriousness of the situation, state health officials recently confirmed a case of EEE in a man in his 80s, breaking a three-year silence in human cases in the state. Although some may think the odds of getting sick are as low as finding a needle in a haystack, the reality is far less comforting. With a death rate sky-high at around 30% for those who do contract the illness, even the toughest among us would want to set down the lawn chairs and head indoors when the sun sets.
Local officials aren’t taking this lightly either. Oxford’s town manager, Jennifer Callahan, has received calls from the family of the infected man, driving home how serious this disease can be. Reports say that although he believed he was immune to mosquito bites, fate had other plans. Now, he’s battling EEE from a hospital bed, showing just how quickly a seemingly benign evening outdoors can turn sinister. Caution is advised, and for residents, a dose of mosquito repellents and vigilant draining of any standing water around their properties have now become the new normal.
A rare but deadly mosquito virus infection has Massachusetts towns urging vigilance https://t.co/CiApciwPv2
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 26, 2024
Still, one can’t help but wonder how much longer these towns can maintain outdoor festivities like summer barbecues and open-air concerts when the mosquitoes are aggressively on the prowl. Without any vaccine or effective treatment available, the public is left with a cocktail of precautions, making one nostalgic for old-fashioned summers when the biggest concern was avoiding sunburn rather than dodging deadly mosquito bites. If there’s one lesson here, it’s that in this era of recreational health risks, mosquito repellent may just be the hottest accessory this fall season.
