"We have not seen an outbreak of EEE for four years in Massachusetts," Robbie Goldstein, the state's department of public health commissioner, said in a statement. "We need to use all our available tools to reduce risk and protect our communities. We are asking everyone to do their part."
Eastern equine encephalitis is caused by a virus spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is rare, but serious: about 30 percent of people with the virus die, and many survivors suffer ongoing neurological problems.
The virus outbreak in Massachusetts comes as mosquito season has lengthened across the United States, The Washington Post reported. Climate change has fueled rising global temperatures, and for more than two-thirds of the United States, increased the number of "mosquito days," meaning days with an average humidity of at least 42 percent and temperatures between 50 and 95 degrees.
The Northeast has warmed faster than the rest of the country and experienced the biggest increase in mosquito days. In Massachusetts, there have been an average of 14 more mosquito days compared with the last four years.
Collection
[
|
...
]