A voluntary evening lockdown has been implemented in four Massachusetts towns: Douglas, Oxford, Sutton, and Webster in an effort to stop the spread of a potentially fatal disease spread by mosquitoes.
The decision was made following the confirmation by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) of the first Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) case in humans in Worcester County since 2020.
According to a public health advisory shared with Fox News Digital, the Oxford Board of Health voted on Wednesday to support the recommendation that people stay indoors after 6:00 p.m., effective immediately, through September 30.
It is advised to stay inside after 5:00 p.m. until the first hard frost, starting on October 1.
The notice mentioned that “peak mosquito hours” are from dusk until dawn.
The four communities are classified by the advisory as “critical-risk.”
“We take EEE very seriously and it is the responsibility of the Board of Health to protect the public health. Given the severity of EEE and the fact that it is in our community, we strongly encourage residents to follow these recommendations,” an Oxford, Massachusetts, representative wrote in an email to Fox News Digital.
“This year, Massachusetts has only seen one human case of EEE; however, EEE has been detected in mosquitoes all over the state.”
The Oxford resident who is infected is still “hospitalized and courageously battling this virus,” according to a memo sent to Fox News Digital on Wednesday by the Oxford town manager.
According to a town spokesperson, the lockdowns are recommendations only, and residents who disobey them won’t face consequences.
The statement went on, “We want to educate our residents about EEE and the seriousness of the illness and make them aware of the risk.”
However, they will need to provide proof of insurance and sign an indemnity form if they wish to use town fields outside of these guidelines.
The spokesman confirmed that Oxford is collaborating with the other three critical-risk communities and that all four have released these same recommendations.
“Schools are trying to move practices and games earlier in the evening and on the weekends by rescheduling and adjusting their sports schedules,” the email stated.
Fox News Digital requested a statement from Oxford Public Schools.
What is Eastern equine encephalitis
As per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is a rare but serious disease that is caused by a virus that is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.
According to the agency, very few cases are reported in the United States each year, with the majority occurring in the Eastern or Gulf Coast states.
According to the CDC, infected humans and other animals are deemed “dead-end hosts,” meaning that they are unable to transmit the virus to mosquitoes that bite them.
Fever, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, stiff necks, convulsions, altered behavior, and sleepiness are typical signs of EEE.
These typically show up five to ten days following a bite.
Thirty percent of those infected with the disease die from it. According to the CDC, it may also result in long-term neurological deficits.
According to Edward Liu, MD, head of infectious diseases at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, “eastern equine encephalitis can cause brain infection (encephalitis), which can be fatal,” Fox News Digital was informed.
According to Liu, the greatest risk factors for mosquito-borne encephalitis are immunocompromised individuals and the elderly.
EEE is “serious but extraordinarily rare,” according to Dr. John Ayers, vice chief of innovation in the University of California, San Diego’s Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, who provided confirmation to Fox News Digital.
“Cases remain substantially rarer than being struck by lightning without any overt preventive measures,” he stated.
Prevention and treatment
It is “concerning,” according to Liu, that the virus is present in local mosquitoes and that one patient in Massachusetts has contracted it.
“Evening lockdowns might be protective, but there are other options as well, like spreading awareness of the danger, promoting the use of repellent, and spraying to reduce mosquito populations,” he suggested.
I don’t think there is anything you can do to significantly reduce your personal risk of illness because it’s already so low, Ayers continued.
He acknowledges that killing mosquitoes, minimizing places with standing water where they can breed, and using insecticides to kill their larvae are common approaches to controlling diseases spread by mosquitoes.
Because it’s already so low, I don’t think there’s anything you can do to significantly lower your personal risk of illness, Ayers added.
He admits that common methods for reducing mosquito-borne disease include eliminating mosquitoes, reducing areas of standing water where they can breed, and applying insecticides to kill their larvae.
