Hard Frost Means An End To EEE Virus Threat

CONCORD, MA — After a long summer plagued by fears of Eastern equine encephalitis virus or West Nile virus, residents can rest easy. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced this week that communities across the state experienced a hard frost.

While a cold front isn't everyone's favorite phrase to hear, it means the risk for mosquito-borne illnesses is over. Concord announced on Friday that the risk for EEE and West Nile in town and in the state were gone.

This year saw a spike in EEE cases in New England and in Massachusetts in specific — three people in the state dies from the virus and 12 people were infected. EEE spread from Middlesex to Worcester and Norfolk counties, elevating risk levels for communities in the area.

Outdoor activity bans became common across communities throughout the summer and as recent as Halloween, some communities were warning kids and parents to wear mosquito repellant or even adjusting trick-or-treating times.