Aerial and truck-mounted ground spraying of pesticide will begin Tuesday evening in Plymouth and Worcester counties in an effort to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne infection Eastern equine encephalitis, state officials said Monday.
Aerial spraying will be conducted in Carver, Halifax, Kingston, Middleborough, Plymouth, Plympton, Rochester, and Wareham, while truck-mounted spraying will take place in Douglas, Dudley, Oxford, Sutton, and Uxbridge, the state departments of Public Health and Agriculture Resources said in a statement.
Two small aircraft and trucks operated by mosquito control professionals contracted by the state will conduct the spraying, the statement said. Spraying will start at dusk Tuesday and end at approximately 4:30 a.m. the next morning, according to the statement.
Another round of aerial spraying may be conducted on a second night, while truck-mounted spraying is expected to “continue for additional days,” officials said. Spraying will be scheduled around weather conditions. Residents can find daily updates for the areas sprayed the night before on the Mosquito Spray Map website.
“Residents within the spray zones should assume their neighborhood is being sprayed until the Spray Map has been updated to reflect the areas that spraying has taken place,” the statement said.
Earlier this month, a man in his 80s became the state’s first confirmed human case of EEE since 2020. The man is a resident of Oxford, town officials said.
Ten communities have been listed by the state Department of Public Health as being at high or critical risk of the potentially fatal disease, which can cause fever, chills, body aches, and other symptoms, according to the Department of Public Health.
Mosquitos carrying EEE have been found in Barnstable, Bristol, Essex, Middlesex, and Norfolk counties.
Last week, several communities in Massachusetts implemented curfews to avoid peak mosquito hours, leading to pushback from residents and athletic leagues.
Tuesday’s aerial spraying will mark the second attempt to combat EEE in Plymouth County, where after the state confirmed the year’s first animal case of the illness in a horse this month. Truck-mounted ground spraying was previously conducted in the area.
Northbridge and Webster, where risk levels were raised to high and to critical, are members of the local Mosquito Control District and the only communities in southern Worcester County that have already received truck-based spraying. The five remaining towns in southern Worcester County will be sprayed this week.
More information, including all EEE positive results, can be found at www.mass.gov/mosquito-borne-diseases, which is updated daily, or by calling the DPH Division of Epidemiology at 617-983-6800.
Kiera McDonald can be reached at [email protected].
Rachel Carter is a health and wellness expert dedicated to helping readers lead healthier lives. With a background in nutrition, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being.
