Second Round Of Mosquito Spraying Successfully Completed

COVENTRY, RI — The second round of mosquito spraying in Rhode Island was successfully completed on Wednesday night, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said Thursday morning. Two planes were able to cover both "critical risk" areas with no issues.

Ideal weather conditions meant that spraying was complete before 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, the DEM said. The planes finished the first zone over the central part of the state around midnight and wrapped up the second zone over the southwest corner of the state at 1:26 a.m. The planes took off around 7 p.m.

Although spraying is complete, the risk of mosquito-borne illness will continue until the first hard frost of the year, which will likely be next month. No matter what time of day, residents are encouraged to take precautions against mosquitoes when outdoor by using insect repellent with DEET as the active ingredient and wearing long sleeves and pants.

There have been three cases of Eastern equine encephalitis in Rhode Island so far this year, a rare but deadly mosquito-borne illness. One person died, while two others, a Charlestown resident and a 6-year-old girl from Coventry, were released from the hospital and are recovering. There have been several animal cases as well, including a horse in Westerly and several deer. There have been 11 cases of EEE in Massachusetts and four deaths so far this year.