A rare but deadly mosquito virus infection has Massachusetts towns calling for vigilance

They are concerned about eastern equine encephalitis. State health officials announced last week that a man in his 80s had contracted the disease, the first human case detected in Massachusetts since 2020.

The town of Plymouth, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Boston, announced Friday it will close public outdoor recreational facilities from dusk to dawn daily after a horse in the town became infected with the disease.

Meanwhile, state health officials have warned that a cluster of four towns south of Worcester — Douglas, Oxford, Sutton and Webster — are at “critical risk” after an Oxford man contracted the virus.

State and local health officials urged people in those cities to avoid peak mosquito-biting times by ending outdoor activities at 6 p.m. through Sept. 30 and then at 5 p.m. after that date, until the first hard frost.

They also recommend that people across Massachusetts use mosquito repellents when outdoors and drain standing water around their homes.

Oxford City Manager Jennifer Callahan wrote in a memo that the family of the man who contracted the virus in mid-August had contacted her office.

“They want people to be aware that this is an extremely serious disease, with terrible physical and emotional consequences, regardless of whether the person manages to live,” Callahan wrote.

The woman said the man often told his family he had never been bitten by mosquitoes, but just before he developed symptoms he told them he had been bitten. She said the man remains hospitalized and is “fighting bravely” against the virus.

Callahan said the family urges people to take public health advice seriously and do everything they can to protect themselves.

The virus’ presence in Massachusetts this year was confirmed last month in a sample of mosquitoes and has since been detected in other mosquitoes across the state. In a 2019 outbreak, there were six deaths among 12 confirmed cases in Massachusetts. The outbreak continued the following year with five more cases and another death.

There are no vaccines or treatments for EEE.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that although rare, EEE is very serious and about 30 percent of infected people die. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Those who survive are usually permanently disabled, and few recover completely, Massachusetts officials said. The disease is common in birds, and while humans and some other mammals can contract EEE, they cannot transmit it.

The CDC says only a few cases of EEE are reported each year in the U.S., with most infections occurring in eastern and Gulf Coast states.