The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Drew justifies decision amid community concern
City mayor urges caution but stands by choice not to spray for mosquitoes
MIDDLETOWN — The mayor is justifying his decision not to spray for mosquitoes amid a recent spate of Eastern equine encephalitisrelated illnesses and deaths in Connecticut, saying individual precautionary measures are sufficient due to the rarity of contracting the condition.
“I understand the concern associated with this illness, but the fear present is more a result of media reports and highway signs than any existential threat we face,” Mayor Dan Drew posted on his Facebook page late Thursday afternoon.
Drew issued a news release late last week saying the potential of being infected with the mosquitoborne disease isn’t as likely as generally thought. His recent statement is in reaction to a number of questions and expressions of concern from residents, he said.
“The best precaution available is to wear long sleeves and pants and to avoid swampy areas during dawn and dusk in warm weather,” Drew said in his post.
“There is a lot of unwarranted
panic about this illness that is outsized to the actual threat posed to anyone. I urge everyone to be calm, and to remember that the odds of getting sick at all — let alone suffering serious consequence — are very slim,” he said Sept. 26.
A third person has died in Connecticut as a result of the disease, and a fourth person has been diagnosed with the mosquitoborne illness.
The state Department of Public Health announced Tuesday an East Haddam resident who died during September was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to have had EEE. A Colchester resident who became ill during the third week of August also was diagnosed with EEE.
There were two previous related deaths in the state this year, an Old Lyme resident and an East Lyme resident.
“This issue is far scarier in the media than in reality. It’s tragic that some people have passed, but, given that there are 3.752 million people in Connecticut, EEE has a mortality rate of .000084% right now,” Drew said in his post.
“You should take precautions if you’re in affected areas, but you should not panic,” he added.
Drew offered statistics on deaths by guns, influenza and motor vehicle crashes in order to put the risk of contracting EEE in perspective, he said.
“Connecticut had 172 gun deaths in 2016, 78 flu deaths just as of May of this year, with thousands more infected, and 260 motor vehicle deaths in 2017. That means that guns are approximately 57 times more likely to cause death than EEE. The flu is roughly 26 times more likely (before summer even begins), and a motor vehicle accident is nearly 87 times more likely to result in death.
“Should you take precautions as an individual? Of course. Should we spray poison or drastically change the way we live our lives? No,” Drew concluded.