Residents in a Massachusetts town are being urged not to leave their homes after dark due to the spread of a deadly mosquito-borne virus.
The Board of Health in Oxford, a city of 13,300 people about 50 miles southwest of Boston, has set an outdoor curfew in hopes it will reduce the chances of people being bitten by mosquitoes which carry Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).
It comes after a resident was the first human to contract the rare and untreatable illness – known as ‘Triple E’ – domestically in nearly four years.
Triple E causes a fever and brain swelling and can lead to seizures and comas. One-third of people infected with EEE die and those who recover are often left with lifelong physical and mental difficulties.
Mosquitoes carry Eastern equine encephalitis, a virus that kills 30 percent of people who contract it
The dusk curfew, which falls around 8 pm in Massachusetts, is only a recommendation – not a rule – but town officials are hoping it will push people inside before peak mosquito hours, reducing risk of exposure.
While not a requirement, the local school district will be enforcing the curfew, meaning after-school programs and sports may be canceled, ended early or moved indoors – something many parents, students and athletes are taking issue with.
Nearly 1,000 Oxford residents have signed an online petition to keep sports fields open.
Oxford Webster Football and Cheer Vice President Josh Ziemski said at the meeting Wednesday: ‘Being heard is our number one goal. Let us decide. I’m a parent, I coach my son and yes if things happen, I can take precautions.’
And two sisters on the cheerleading squad are afraid the curfew will impact their season.
One of them, Aria Fournier in eighth grade, told local CBS: ‘This is my last year as a cheerleader on this team, and it would be really upsetting if I missed out on it.’
Her mom, Sarah, added: ‘The numbers don’t require the drastic actions they’re trying to take.’
And Oxford Little League President Philip Davis said: ‘We think the parents should be able to make decisions as parents, for our kids, for the well-being of our kids.’
But Public Health Director Rike Sterrett told attendees: ‘We don’t want to see another human case of EEE this year.
‘One is already too many. Even if you do survive, usually there are severe health impacts – neurological impacts.’
Town officials clarified on Facebook: ‘This evening the Board of Health met for the first time to be updated by the Director of Public Health since the Town of Oxford, along with 3 bordering communities, were being placed at Critical Risk for EEE or Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
‘The Memorandum CLEARLY states that all private Town Leagues can continue to opt to play beyond the DPH recommendations and those jointly adopted by all 4 towns that are at Critical Status.
‘No one is banning fields for use by private leagues and never stated such.’
For anyone seeking to play outdoors beyond the recommended curfew, they will need to contact the town for further information.
Officials have not released the location or identity of the man infected but have said he is in his 80s, lives in Oxford and contracted the illness last week.
The EEE risk level has been escalated to critical in four cities and increased to moderate in nine others.
A memo published by the Town of Oxford said a family member of the infected, who is hospitalized and ‘courageously battling this virus’ has reached out to officials several times because ‘they want people to be aware this is an extremely serious disease with terrible physical and emotional consequences, regardless if the person manages to live after contracting the virus.
‘They want residents to take the public health recommendations regarding prevention measures of contracting this virus seriously.’
The memo also states that a horse infected with EEE in neighboring Connecticut has died from the virus.
There were 12 human cases of EEE in Massachusetts in 2019 and six people died. In 2020, there were five human cases and one death.
There were no cases or deaths in each year from 2021 to 2023, according to Massachusetts’ Department of Public Health.
EEE symptoms typically begin within four to 10 days of being bitten with an infected mosquito, according to the CDC.
Most people infected do not display symptoms but those who develop serious cases will experience fever, chills. body aches and joint pain.
For mild cases, recovery takes about one to two weeks and people will likely recover completely if the infection does not affect the central nervous system, the CDC added.
However, people with serious cases can develop meningitis – swelling of brain and spinal cord – or encephalitis – swelling of the brain.
These symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, drowsiness and even coma.
There is no specific treatment for EEE but doctors will provide supportive care to manage symptoms, such as pain medications and hydrating fluids.
For the approximately 33 percent of people with EEE who die, death typically occurs about two to 10 days after onset of symptoms.
For people who survive, they are left with brain damage and ongoing disabilities that require long-term care. They may die within a few years after recovering from the initial infection, the CDC added.
Only a handful of EEE cases are reported in the US every year and are most often in eastern or Gulf Coast states.
So far in 2024, two additional human cases of EEE have been reported in two other states – Vermont and New Jersey – and all three US patients have developed severe neuroinvasive cases.
A record 38 cases were reported in 2019.
Experts are concerned that the rise in temperatures, humidity and rainfall could lead to an increase in the virus.
The virus is only spread from mosquito to human (and horse) and there is no human-to-human or animal-to-human transmission.
To protect yourself against EEE, a public health advisory from the town of Oxford recommends wearing long sleeves and long pants, preventing standing and collecting water, which act as mosquito breeding grounds, applying insect repellent and avoiding peak mosquito hours from dusk until dawn.