Salem, Manchester Areas On Alert For EEE-Carrying Mosquitoes

SALEM, NH — Nearby towns are on alert after the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) was discovered in batches of mosquitoes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Earlier this month, Pelham became the first community in New Hampshire to have a batch of mosquitoes test positive for the virus. And about a week later, Manchester batches also tested positive for EEE.

According to the Eagle-Tribune, school officials in nearby Haverhill, Massachusetts, have cancelled nighttime after-school activities, including sports, due to EEE being found in a dead horse in neighboring Methuen, Massachusetts, on Monday. Haverhill School District officials stated that after-school activities will not continue past 7 p.m., until Sept. 30, due to the EEE danger.

In Andover, Massachusetts, tests of mosquitoes turned up negative for EEE on Friday. But the town remains on the state's "high risk" designation for the disease; mosquitoes collected in Methuen did come back positive for EEE.

The Pelham batch that tested positive for EEE was collected Aug. 1. In Manchester, two batches of mosquitoes collected on Aug. 7 tested positive for the virus.

In Kingston in recent weeks, a man also contracted two viruses carried by mosquitoes and ticks — the Jamestown Canyon virus and the Powassan virus, according to the Portsmouth Department of Public Works.

The Portsmouth DPW stated that although no human cases of EEE are known to have occurred in New Hampshire since 2014, residents are asked to be vigilant by wearing long sleeves, using insect repellent, and staying indoors during dawn and dusk — the peak times for mosquitoes.

"As with every year, there is a possibility that we might detect mosquito borne illnesses," said Anna Thomas, Manchester's public health director. "And as such, everyone should be vigilant in eliminating mosquito breeding areas and taking personal precautions
including the use of an effective insect repellent, to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes."

According to the Manchester Health Department, symptoms of EEE usually appear four to 10 days after being bitten by a mosquito carrying the EEE virus. Those who get sick typically experience flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, weakness, and muscle and joint pain. A more serious central nervous system infection could also develop, including meningitis and encephalitis, inflammation of the brain. Health officials say that EEE typically causes a more serious disease than West Nile Virus and carries a high mortality rate for those who contract the more serious, encephalitic, form of the illness.

No specific treatment exists for EEE. Anyone with questions or concerns about the disease is encouraged to seek additional information and advice by calling the N.H. Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at 603-271-4496. Additional information is also available through the N.H. Department of Health and Human Serviceswebsite.