A rare but deadly mosquito-borne disease has prompted one Massachusetts town to close its parks and fields every night. Four other towns are urging people to avoid going outdoors at night.
They are concerned about eastern equine encephalitis after state health officials announced last week that a man in his 80s had contracted the disease, the first human case detected in Massachusetts since 2020.
The town of Plymouth, about 40 miles southeast of Boston, announced Friday it is closing its public outdoor recreational facilities from dusk to dawn daily after a horse contracted the disease.
Cole’s Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts. State and local health officials have urged residents of these towns to stay indoors during the hours when they are at greatest risk of being bitten by mosquitoes. Photo: AP
Meanwhile, state health officials have warned that four towns south of Worcester — Douglas, Oxford, Sutton and Webster — are at “serious risk” after an Oxford man contracted the virus.
State and local health officials have urged residents in these areas to stay indoors during the hours when they are most at risk for mosquito bites and to end outdoor activities at 6 p.m. through Sept. 30 and at 5 p.m. thereafter until the first hard frost.
They also recommend that Massachusetts residents use mosquito repellent when outdoors and drain any containers with standing water in their homes.
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Oxford City Manager Jennifer Callahan wrote in a memo that her office had been contacted by the family of the man who contracted the virus in mid-August.
“They want people to be aware that this is an extremely serious disease with terrible physical and emotional consequences, regardless of whether the person manages to survive,” Callahan wrote.
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He added that the infected person had frequently told his family that he had never been bitten by mosquitoes. But just before he developed symptoms of the disease, he said he had been bitten. The man remains hospitalized and is “fighting bravely” against the virus.
Callahan said the family is urging people to take public health recommendations seriously and do everything they can to protect themselves.
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