First MA Human Case Of EEE This Summer Reported In Middleboro

MIDDLEBORO, MA — The state's first human case of Eastern equine encephalitis this season was reported in Middleboro on Monday.

Middleboro Town Manager Robert Nunes said the Massachusetts Department of Public Health informed the town of the positive diagnosis, and that all outdoor activities on town property are prohibited from dusk until dawn.

The Department of Public Health said the person is a boy under 18 years old.

The DPH has raised the EEE risk level to "critical" in Middleboro and Carver. Kingston, Plympton and Rochester are at "high" risk. Bridgewater, Halifax, Lakeville, Plymouth, and Wareham in Plymouth County, and Raynham and Taunton in Bristol County, are at "moderate" risk.

"EEE is rare, but it is a serious disease and public health concern, and we remind residents of the need to protect themselves from mosquito bites as EEE activity increases,” said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel. “The single best prevention tool continues to be avoiding mosquito bites by using repellent, wearing long sleeves and pants, weather permitting, and avoiding outdoor activity between the hours of dusk and dawn in the highest risk areas.”

Middleboro becomes the second South Shore town to cancel dusk-to-dawn outdoor activities after the Carver Board of Health canceled all outdoor activities on town property Wednesday after the town received notification that additional mosquitoes tested positive for the virus. That town's ban began Saturday and includes activities at all town playgrounds, athletic fields, parks and beaches.

Mosquitoes were also found with EEE in Carver on July 13, according the Department of Public Health. EEE has been found in 29 mosquito samples his year, as of Monday, including in species of mosquitoes capable of spreading the virus to people.

State officials said earlier this month to expect a tough summer when it comes to EEE just as residents look to get outdoors more often after the coronavirus crisis quarantine this spring.

"Although the world has changed in many different ways since 2019, it's important for us now to get back to thinking about EEE and the preventive measures we all need to take," Bharel said in a news conference in Plymouth on July 7.

The first cases of EEE in the state this summer were found in mosquito samples taken in Orange —a small Central Mass. town north of Worcester — on July 1.

Related Patch Coverage: Carver Bans Night Outdoor Activities Due To 'High' EEE Risk Level

Mosquito-Borne Virus's Early Arrival Presents New Health Concern
Mosquito Samples Detect EEE For First Time In MA In 2020