The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has announced that Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus and West Nile virus (WNv) were detected in mosquitoes collected from Halifax, Carver, and Lakeville on July 22. Kingston mosquitoes tested positive for WNv.
In response, the Plympton Board of Health, Arthur Morin, Chairman, issued a directive cancelling all outdoor activities on town-owned property between sunset and sunrise when mosquitoes are most active, and Halifax has issued an advisory from Health Agent Cathleen Drinan, detailing what steps Halifax is taking and what steps our readers can take to avoid mosquitoes and their bites.
Drinan says, “July is early for EEE. We expect it to spread.” She continues that it is being found in mammal biting mosquitoes, so there is the potential for humans being infected.
While EEE is considered rare, it is still a “dire or deadly” disease, and can kill people, especially young and old. Those who survive often end up severely impaired.
WNv, Drinan continues, is not as rare as EEE and is usually mild but can be deadly to those over the age of 50.
Halifax will request additional spraying around the school, walking track, and soccer fields.
Due to the recent four samples of mosquitoes testing positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and five samples testing positive for West Nile virus (WNv) in the town of Halifax, the whole town was sprayed July 29 by the Plymouth County Mosquito Control Project. Halifax residents don’t need to contact the Project to request spraying at this time.
Residents may request their property be sprayed by the Plymouth County Mosquito Control Project, PCMCP, up to eight times in a summer. Requests are accepted via fax, phone, walk-in or by mail. They recommend faxing spray service requests, including resident’s name, address, town, phone, and email. Phone requests are difficult to handle as they are serving all of Plymouth County. The fax number is 781-582-1276. They are located at 272 South Meadow Road, Plymouth, MA 02360, and the office hours are 7:30-2:30 Monday – Friday.
To see a list of the towns and streets to be sprayed, go to their web site, www.plymouthmosquito.org/home then click on “About Us” located at the top of the page, and scroll down and click on “Spray Routes” to see daily the towns and streets to be sprayed and the date the spraying will occur.
PCMCP collects samples of mosquitoes and tests them for viruses between July and September. In addition to disease surveillance, PCMCP is also monitoring for the Asian Tiger Mosquito, an introduced insect capable of transmitting diseases such as Zika and Dengue. According to the PCMCP web site, the Asian Tiger Mosquito has been identified in Mattapoisett and Wareham.
Drinan’s Halifax advisory cautions to avoid mosquito bites by considering rescheduling outdoor activities between dusk and dawn, the peak biting time for many mosquitoes. Otherwise, take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing to help reduce mosquito bites. Use insect repellent with DEET, (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide), picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus according to the instructions on the product label. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age. Permethrin products are intended for use on items such as clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.
There are many things to do at home reduce the number of mosquitoes in the yard. It is possible to generate large amounts of mosquitoes with small amounts of water.
Mosquitoes can have many generations in one year and in the heat of the summer they can go from egg to adult in about a week. The best way to prevent mosquito production is to remove any objects that hold water from your yard.
Below is a list of common objects or places that produce mosquitoes.
Tires. Old tires are notorious for producing large numbers of mosquitoes. If you are storing tires, put them in a shed or garage. If you have a tire swing, put a hole in the bottom of it so it cannot hold water.
Gutters. Rain gutters on houses tend to fill up with leaves and other things that clog the gutters. This material can cause gutters to hold water long enough to produce mosquitoes.
Swimming pools. Any unmaintained pool is large enough to produce ample mosquitoes to bother the whole neighborhood. Keep children’s pools full of clean water and make sure all swimming pools do not become full of algae or leaves.
Tires. Old tires are notorious for producing large numbers of mosquitoes. If you are storing tires, put them in a shed or garage. If you have a tire swing, put a hole in the bottom of it so it cannot hold water.
Flower pots. Old flower pots or saucers underneath the flower pot can hold enough water for mosquito larvae.
Gardening tools such as wheelbarrows or shovels.
Toys left outside can collect water.
Bird baths should be emptied and cleaned once a week to prevent mosquitoes.
Garbage cans and lids. Make sure there are holes in the very bottom of your garbage can.
Tarps. Frequently people use tarps to cover items such as wood, boats or to make a fort. Always keep the tarp tight and drain any water that collects in the tarp.
Boats. Any boat, or tarp covering a boat can hold water. Make sure the plug in the bottom of the boat is open so water can drain from it.
Other. Buckets, soda cans, pet dishes, washing machines, old cars, refrigerators, watering troughs, bath tubs and basements.
For more information about EEE and WNv, see this week’s column by Health Agent Cathleen Drinan on page 8.