Officials elevate risk level for mosquito-borne diseasesDate: 10/11/2023 Despite the cooling temperatures and changing colors of the leaves, mosquito season is still in full swing. In addition to the annoying itching that mosquito bites bring, they can also transmit blood-borne pathogens. Two of the most common diseases that humans can contract from mosquitos in New England are West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20% of people who are infected “develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash.” Most of these people recover completely, however, symptoms such as fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months. One in 150 people who are infected develop a severe illness that affects the central nervous system such as encephalitis — inflammation of the brain — or meningitis — inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.”
Eastern equine encephalitis is a viral disease that can cause fever, chills, body aches and joint pain lasting up to two weeks, but as suggested by its name, the virus can also lead to encephalitis and meningitis. Information provided by the CDC states, “The type of illness will depend on the age of the person and other factors,” and notes that approximately one in three people with encephalitis due to EEE die.
As of press time, West Nile virus was found in mosquito samples in several towns across the state, including South Hadley, East Longmeadow, West Springfield and Springfield. Meanwhile, eastern equine encephalitis was taken from mosquito samples in four Massachusetts towns, with Wilbraham being the only one in Western Massachusetts. Due to this, the risk level has been raised to “moderate” in the eastern half of Hampden County for EEE and in large swaths of Hampden and Hampshire counties for West Nile Virus.
East Longmeadow Director of Public Health Tammy Spencer said the town has taken measures in response to the threat “moderate” risk level. It has worked with the Pioneer Valley Mosquito Control District to identify areas in town to monitor for positive mosquito samples, developed a plan with the Parks and Recreation Department to limit the parks’ hours of use if the town’s risk level were to increase to ‘High’ or ‘Critical’ and completed an additional 90-day treatment of Bti larvicide on select catch basins in town. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Bti is not harmful to people, honeybees, animals and the environment when used as directed,” but does kill mosquito larvae, blackflies and fungus gnats when ingested by those insects.
The state’s website, Mass.gov, lays out several precautions people can take to reduce the likelihood of being bitten by mosquitos. These include wearing mosquito repellent and long sleeves and pants from dusk until dawn, using mosquito netting on strollers, baby carriages and playpens and repairing window screens. It is also recommended that people be aware of stagnant water and dump outdoor water twice a week to prevent mosquito breeding.
A map of EEE and West Nile virus risk areas in the state can be found at tinyurl.com/2pv4dn8d.
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