EEE Kills Bristol County Man

MANSFIELD, MA — A Bristol County man in his 70s died after contracting Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Friday. This is the 10th confirmed case of EEE in the state this year. One of those cases led to the death of a Fairhaven woman.

Among those diagnosed in this outbreak is a 5-year-old Sudbury girl who nearly died, before showing signs of improvement. The department also confirmed a second human case of West Nile virus, a man in his 50s from Plymouth County.

There are 35 communities now at critical risk, 40 at high risk, and 128 at moderate risk for the EEE virus in Massachusetts. A map of the state’s current EEE risk levels can be found here.

"We continue to emphasize the need for people to protect themselves from mosquito bites," said Public Health commissioner Monica Bharel. "The unusually warm weather expected this weekend will increase outdoor activity among people and mosquitoes. It is absolutely essential that people take steps to avoid being bitten by a mosquito."

Since the virus was first identified in Massachusetts in 1938, fewer than 100 cases have been documented. More than 60 percent of those cases have been from Plymouth and Norfolk counties, according to the state.

The most recent outbreak of EEE in the state began in 2010 and included nine cases with four fatalities through 2012. Few people infected with the virus recover completely, according to state data.

Some municipalities, like Waltham, have announced curfews between dusk and dawn - when mosquitoes are most active - in parks to help prevent bites.

As previously announced, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources will conduct aerial spraying for mosquitoes Friday night and through the weekend in parts of Bristol and Plymouth counties. Aerial sprayings are weather dependent.