RI-DEM completes another round of mosquito spraying
While the Rhode Island Department of Health on Thursday morning announced that aerial mosquito spraying operations were completed in Rhode Island, the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses continues across the Ocean State, causing the cancellation of tonight’s planned Salsa Night in Central Falls.
The dance celebration in that city was canceled as a precautionary measure in response to the threat of Eastern equine encephalitis, known commonly as EEE. This was also scheduled to be the final Salsa Night of the year in Central Falls.
The Department of Health on Thursday morning announced that aerial spraying operations in Rhode Island were complete, but emphasized the importance of taking precautions through the first hard frost of the year. That includes using bug spray, wearing layers, emptying standing water, and avoiding the outdoors between dusk and dawn.
In Rhode Island this year, there have been three human cases of EEE with one case resulting in a death, according to the Department of Health. In West Warwick, a resident there who contracted EEE died on Sept. 8, marking the first person in Rhode Island to be diagnosed with EEE since 2010 and the state’s first fatality from the mosquito-borne virus since 2007.
Neighboring Massachusetts has experienced 10 human cases with three deaths this year and Connecticut on Tuesday confirmed that a second resident had died from the disease.
In Washington, Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse urged the federal government to be more proactive in helping Rhode Island and other states impacted by this year’s EEE outbreak. The senators sent a letter this week asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help the state track, prevent, and respond to EEE as a part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Reed and Whitehouse said that due to the increase in EEE cases, and to help prevent future outbreaks, they wanted the USDA to provide Rhode Island with funding and assistance for research, prevention, and response to EEE.
Their letter comes a week after Reed and Whitehouse urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase research and prevention assistance to Rhode Island for EEE surveillance and control activities.
“As such, methods to mitigate EEE exposure are essential,” wrote Reed and Whitehouse. “Since EEE is contracted through mosquito bites, mosquito control efforts such as spraying pesticides are among the most effective ways to stifle the virus’ spread. By targeting areas that are particularly prone to breeding and areas identified by government agencies that are at critical risk for EEE, environmental initiatives work in concert with other EEE prevention tools to address the virus at its source.”
“EEE’s renewed presence in our state necessitates swift action to prevent its spread to more families and communities,” the senators wrote. “We have sent a similar letter to your colleagues at the CDC requesting assistance in addressing the outbreak from a health standpoint, but these efforts must be combined with agricultural solutions to achieve maximum effectiveness in the fight against EEE. We urge you to use all means available to bolster research, prevention, and response efforts relating to insect, plant, and animal related diseases and infestations.”