Four Massachusetts towns — Douglas, Oxford, Sutton and Webster — have imposed voluntary nighttime lockdowns to curb the spread of a potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease.
The decision comes after the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) confirmed the first human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in Worcester County since 2020.
The Oxford Health Board voted Wednesday to uphold the recommendation to stay indoors after 6 p.m., effective immediately and in place until Sept. 30, according to a public health advisory obtained by Fox News Digital.
Starting October 1st, people are advised to stay indoors after 5pm until the first hard frost.
The notice states that the period between dusk and dawn is “the period when mosquitoes are most prevalent.”
The advisory designates four communities as at “significant risk.”
“It is the Board of Health’s responsibility to protect public health, we take EEE very seriously and strongly encourage residents to follow these recommendations given the seriousness of EEE and the fact that it is occurring in our community,” a City of Oxford spokesperson said in an email to Fox News Digital.
“So far this year in Massachusetts, there has been only one human case of EEE, but mosquitoes across the state have tested positive for EEE.”
A Wednesday memo from Oxford’s city manager provided to Fox News Digital said the infected person in Oxford “remains hospitalized and is bravely fighting the virus.”
A town spokesman said the lockdown is considered a recommendation and will not be enforced if residents do not comply.
“We want to educate residents about EEE and the seriousness of the disease so they are aware of the risks,” the statement continued.
“However, if you wish to use town-owned fields outside of these recommended areas, you will need to show proof of insurance and sign an indemnity.”
The University of Oxford is working with three other significant risk communities and all four have issued similar advice, a spokesman confirmed.
“Schools are working to reschedule sports so that practices and games take place in the evenings and on weekends,” the email said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Oxford Public Schools for comment.
What is Eastern Equine Encephalitis?
Eastern equine encephalitis is caused by a virus that is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which describes EEE as a “rare but serious illness.”
Several cases are reported each year in the United States, with most occurring in eastern or Gulf Coast states, the agency said on its website.
According to the CDC, humans and other animals that are infected with the virus are considered “definitive hosts,” meaning they cannot transmit the virus to mosquitoes that bite them.
Common symptoms of EEE include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, neck stiffness, seizures, behavioral changes, and drowsiness.
These usually appear 5 to 10 days after the bite.
The disease can be fatal, killing 30% of those infected, and can also cause chronic neurological damage, according to the CDC.
“Eastern equine encephalitis causes a brain infection (encephalitis) that can be fatal,” Dr. Edward Liu, chief of infectious diseases at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, told Fox News Digital.
Liu said the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk from mosquito-borne encephalitis.
Dr. John Ayers, associate dean for innovation at the University of California, San Diego’s School of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, confirmed to Fox News Digital that EEE is “serious but extremely rare.”
“Without obvious preventative measures, it remains significantly rarer than fatalities from lightning strikes,” he said.
Prevention and Treatment
The fact that local mosquitoes are carrying the virus and that one patient in Massachusetts has been infected is “concerning,” Liu said.
“Nighttime lockdowns could be a preventive measure, but other options are to educate the public about the risks, encourage the use of mosquito repellents and conduct spraying to prevent the spread of mosquitoes,” he advised.
Ayers added: “An individual’s probability of getting the disease is already so low that I don’t think there’s anything they can do to significantly lower it.”
He agrees that the typical strategies for dealing with mosquito-borne diseases are to kill mosquitoes, reduce the number of standing water areas where mosquitoes nest, and spray insecticides to kill mosquito larvae.
“There is no cure for these viral encephalitis, so prevention and supportive care are the only treatments,” Liu noted.
Currently, there is no vaccine against eastern equine encephalitis.
The CDC confirms that avoiding mosquito bites is the best way to prevent infection.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the CDC for additional comment.
