Dangerous mosquito virus spurs dusk-to-dawn park closures in U.S. town – GLOBAL

August 26, 2024

Due to an increasing threat from a potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease, a coastal town in Massachusetts has closed its parks, playgrounds and sports fields from dusk to dawn, according to town officials.

Plymouth, Mass., about 60 km south of Boston, announced the closures on Aug. 23, due to a high risk of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a rare and dangerous mosquito-borne disease with a 33 per cent to 70 per cent fatality rate and severe long-term effects, such a paralysis and brain dysfunction, for survivors.

“As Mass [Department of Public Health] DPH has now elevated Plymouth’s EEE risk status to high, it is important to take extra precautions when outdoors and follow state and local health guidelines to avoid unnecessary risk to exposure to EEE. The health and safety of our community, residents, and visitors remain our priority,” said Michelle Bratti, Plymouth’s commissioner of health and human services, in a media release.

Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/10715362/mosquito-borne-virus-eastern-equine-encephalitis-boston-town/