All outdoor school sports events in Middleboro will now end 30 minutes before sunset as the region grapples with the ongoing threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE, and West Nile virus.
School officials said they made the decision due to the “high risk” for the mosquito-born viruses that can turn deadly.
On Friday, Middleboro town officials announced the death of a horse that had been infected with Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE .
“Due to a high risk of mosquitos carrying EEE and West Nile virus in our town, all school sanctioned outdoor activities will cease a minimum of 30 minutes before sunset until we have our first frost,” Schools Superintendent Carolyn Lyons said in a statement.
The district joins other communities that also are taking precautionary measures to keep students and the public safe.
In Plymouth, both Plymouth North and South football games will not have night games to start the season, officials said last month. Instead, games in Plymouth will start at 4 p.m. as parks and fields in the area are closed from dusk until dawn.
In Middleboro, indoor school sports activities will remain unaffected, Lyons said.
School officials made the decision to cease outdoor sports activities after sunset “after discussions with the Middleborough Board of Health and Town Manager,” Lyons said.
“We also encourage students and families to wear long clothing and insect repellent when outdoors between dusk and dawn,” Lyons said.
The athletic department will communicate changes to sport schedules through the student’s coach and the Arbitersports website., she said.
News of the school sports changes in Middleboro comes as state public health officials announced Tuesday that two more people have West Nile virus in Massachusetts .
The risk of human infection with West Nile virus is moderate or high in Greater Boston (Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk counties) and is also elevated in parts of Barnstable, Bristol, Essex, Hampden, Plymouth, and Worcester counties.
West Nile virus is usually transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. In 2023, there were six human cases of West Nile virus and no animal cases that year.
In New Hampshire, a 41-year-old man died after becoming infected with Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE, virus , state health officials said last week.
Steven Perry was hospitalized on Aug. 12 due to a severe central nervous system disease and died on Aug. 19, officials said.
In Massachusetts, public health officials on Thursday confirmed a second human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE, this year as well as a second confirmed case in a horse .
Ten communities in Plymouth and Worcester counties were raised to high or critical risk for EEE after state health officials announced in mid-August that a man in his 80s had caught the disease , the first human case found in Massachusetts since 2020.
In Oxford, town officials approved a recent curfew due to EEE risk.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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