Sue Ryan, who lives in Plymouth, Mass., is taking no chances.
Plymouth is one of 10 communities in Massachusetts that health officials consider to be at high or critical risk from Eastern equine encephalitis, a rare but dangerous mosquito-borne disease that killed a 41-year-old man in New Hampshire this month.
And Ms. Ryan is among those who have adjusted their routines accordingly.
“I’ve changed everything,” Ms. Ryan, 61, said on Wednesday morning as she visited a playground with her two grown daughters and three grandchildren.
I will be obeying the rules until further notice.” Plymouth’s parks, swimming ponds and playgrounds still thrummed with life on Wednesday.
But for the few who do, the virus can be very serious, leading to brain inflammation, neurological damage, coma or death.
Between 2003 and 2023, Massachusetts reported a total of 41 human cases of the virus, more than any other state.
Southeastern Massachusetts, in particular, has seen its share of severe cases over the years; an outbreak there in 1938 killed 25 people, most of them children.
More recently, in August 2006, a 9-year-old boy in Middleborough, Mass., died of the virus, falling into a coma one day after coming down with a headache and a fever.
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Plymouth, Massachusetts, resident Sue Ryan. is not playing around.
Eastern equine encephalitis, a rare but deadly mosquito-borne disease that killed a 41-year-old man in New Hampshire this month, is thought to pose a high or critical risk to ten communities in Massachusetts, including Plymouth. Among those who have modified their routines in accordance with this is Ms. Ryan.
Ms. Ryan, 61, said, “I’ve changed everything,” while she and her two adult daughters and three grandchildren were visiting a playground on Wednesday morning. “After dark, I stay inside on my patio.”. I’m not gardening anymore. Until further notice, I shall abide by the rules. “.
On Wednesday, life was still thumping in Plymouth’s parks, playgrounds, and swimming ponds. However, Ms. Ryan was by no means the only local who reported that she had started to take preventative measures and was following public health officials’ advice to stay inside during the mosquito-active hours of dusk until dawn.
There is no way for the virus to spread between people. The majority of people bitten by an infected mosquito never even get sick. However, for those few who do, the virus can be fatal, causing neurological damage, coma, brain inflammation, or even death. There’s no remedy available.
More human cases of the virus than any other state were reported in Massachusetts between 2003 and 2023—41 cases overall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which placed Michigan and Florida in second and third place, respectively, with 22 and 24 cases.
With an outbreak that claimed 25 lives in 1938, the majority of them were children, Southeastern Massachusetts has experienced more severe cases than its fair share over the years. In August 2006, a 9-year-old boy from Middleborough, Massachusetts, experienced something more recent. became ill with a fever and headache, and died from the virus one day later, entering a coma.
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