Jakarta, IndonesiaSentinel.com — A rare and deadly mosquito-borne virus has struck a town in Massachusetts, prompting the closure of public parks after dark and warnings for residents to stay indoors at night. Health officials are sounding the alarm over the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus after it infected an 80-year-old man—the first human case in Massachusetts since 2020.
On Friday, the city of Plymouth announced it would close all outdoor public recreation facilities from dusk to dawn after a horse in the area tested positive for the virus.
State health officials have also identified four towns south of Worcester—Douglas, Oxford, Sutton, and Webster—as being at “critical risk” following the infection of a man from Oxford.
The presence of EEE in Massachusetts was confirmed last month when the virus was detected in a mosquito sample. Since then, it has been found in mosquitoes across the state.
During the 2019 outbreak, the state recorded 12 confirmed cases of EEE resulting in six deaths. The outbreak continued into the following year, with five cases and one fatality.
As of now, there is no vaccine or treatment for EEE. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that while the virus is rare, it is extremely serious, with a mortality rate of around 30% among those infected. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures. Survivors often suffer permanent disabilities, and only a few recover fully, according to Massachusetts health authorities. The virus primarily affects birds, but humans and some mammals can also contract it, though they do not transmit the disease.
The CDC reports that only a handful of EEE cases are reported in the U.S. each year, with most infections occurring in eastern states and along the Gulf Coast.
Jennifer Callahan, an official in Oxford, shared in a memo that the family of the man infected in mid-August had reached out to her office. “They want people to understand that this is an extremely serious disease with devastating physical and emotional consequences, regardless of whether the person survives.”
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She added that the infected man had told his family he had never been bitten by a mosquito, but just before showing symptoms, he recalled being bitten. The man is currently hospitalized, battling the deadly virus.
Health officials are urging residents in the affected towns to avoid peak mosquito activity by completing outdoor activities by 6 p.m. through September 30.
(Agung)
