Bellingham takes precautions against spread of EEE
BELLINGHAM Town officials in Bellingham Thursday sent out a reverse call informing residents that all town and school activities are suspended from dawn to dusk.
Bellingham now joins Blackstone, Millville, Uxbridge and dozens of other communities throughout the Blackstone Valley and the Commonwealth to close public areas because of the threat of Eastern ETuine Encephalitis EEE .
On Thursday, Bellingham notified its residents that all town parks and school athletic fields will be closed from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. effective immediately.
There are also restricted hours at Arcand Park Beach and Silver Lake, which will close at 6 p.m. until further notice.
The restricted hours in Bellingham will remain in effect until the town issues an official notification that the health risk has subsided, which isn’t likely to happen until after the first killing frost.
The Massachusetts epartment of Public Health PH Friday announced that laboratory testing has confirmed four new cases of EEE infection in horses from Holliston, Medfield, Brookfield and Granby, bringing the total number of horse cases of EEE to seven in Massachusetts this year.
As a result, the risk level in Holliston, Medfield, Brookfield and Granby has been raised to critical and in Belchertown, Brimfield, Chicopee, East Brookfield, Ludlow, Medway, Millis, North Brookfield, Sherborn, South
adley, 6turbridge, Walpole, and West Brookfield the risk level has been raised to high.
In total, there are communities now at critical risk, at high risk, and at moderate risk for the EEE virus in Massachusetts. Many communities were raised to moderate risk based on current EEE activity and on patterns of historical risk.
There have been four confirmed human cases of EEE this year.
As we head into the /abor Day weekend and the month of 6eptember people should not forget to bring and use an E3A-approved mosTuito repellent for any outdoor activities,” said 3ublic ealth ommissioner Monica Bharel, MD, M3 . The peak time for transmission of mosTuito-borne illness extends through 6eptember here in Massachusetts.”
All residents throughout the ommonwealth should continue to use mosTuito repellent and those in high and critical risk communities should consider staying indoors during the dusk to dawn hours to reduce exposure to mosTuitoes.
orses and other mammals are an important part of mosTuito-borne disease surveillance because they are exposed by the same kinds of mosTuitoes that can expose people,” said 6tate Epidemiologist Dr. atherine Brown.
EEE is a rare but serious and potentially fatal disease that can affect people of all ages. EEE occurs sporadically in Massachusetts with the most recent outbreak years occurring from - and - . There were human cases of EEE infection during those two outbreak periods with cases occurring among residents of Bristol and 3lymouth counties.
EEE virus has been found in mosTuito samples this year, many of them from species of mosTuitoes capable of spreading the virus to people.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources has conducted aerial mosTuito spraying in parts of Bristol, 3lymouth, Middlesex, and Worcester counties to help reduce public health risk. owever, spraying does not eliminate the risk of EEE transmission and the public is asked to continue to follow personal protection practices.
Meanwhile, in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management DEM Friday confirmed that a horse in Westerly tested positive for EEE August . DEM also is confirming that the third positive finding of EEE in Rhode Island in has been detected in a mosTuito pool trapped at hapman 6wamp, in Westerly, on August . The horse, a male -monthold Belgian, was too young to be vaccinated for EEE.
2n August , DEM confirmed the first two positive EEE findings in Rhode Island in mosTuito samples collected in entral Falls. To date, statewide no mosTuitoes have tested positive for West 1ile 9irus. Massachusetts which, historically, has had a higher prevalence and risk of EEE than Rhode Island has conducted aerial mosTuito spraying in Bristol, 3lymouth, and other counties. Rhode Island officials continue to assess the risk of human disease daily and are closely evaluating the need for aerial spraying.