Massachusetts towns at 'critical risk' of deadly mosquito disease with 'terrible' consequences

A rare mosquito-borne disease has prompted a town in Massachusetts to close its parks and fields each evening, with four other towns advising residents to avoid outdoor activities at night.

The concern is over eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a disease that state health officials confirmed last week had infected a man in his 80s - the first human case in Massachusetts since 2020. Plymouth, located about 40 miles southeast of Boston, announced on Friday that it would be closing public outdoor recreation facilities from dusk until dawn daily after a horse in the town contracted the disease.

State health officials have also issued a warning for a cluster of four towns south of Worcester - Douglas, Oxford, Sutton, and Webster - stating they are at "critical risk" following an Oxford man's contraction of the virus.

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Health officials at both the state and local level are urging residents in these towns to finish any outdoor activities by 6pm until September 30, and then by 5pm thereafter until the first hard frost. They are also recommending that people across Massachusetts use mosquito repellents when outdoors and drain any standing water around their homes.

Jennifer Callahan, the town manager of Oxford, shared in a memo that the family of the man who contracted the virus in mid-August had reached out to her office. "They want people to be aware this is an extremely serious disease with terrible physical and emotional consequences, regardless if the person manages to live," Callahan wrote.

A man in Massachusetts is "courageously battling" Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) after being bitten by a mosquito, an event he had previously boasted to his family rarely happened to him. The patient remains hospitalized as the virus takes its toll.

The family of the infected individual is now advocating for public vigilance, emphasizing the importance of heeding health warnings and taking preventive measures against EEE.

EEE's presence in Massachusetts was first detected this year in a mosquito sample last month and has since been identified in other mosquitoes throughout the state. A 2019 outbreak resulted in six fatalities among 12 confirmed cases in Massachusetts, with the outbreak extending into the following year, causing five additional cases and one more death.

Currently, there are no vaccines or specific treatments available for EEE. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), EEE is a rare but severe illness, with approximately 30% of those infected succumbing to the disease.

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Symptoms can include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures. Survivors of EEE often suffer from permanent disabilities, and full recovery is uncommon, say Massachusetts health officials.

While birds are the primary carriers of EEE, humans and certain mammals can contract the virus but do not transmit it. The CDC reports that EEE cases in the US are few, typically occurring in eastern and Gulf Coast states, with only several cases reported annually.