(WHDH) — Aerial spraying for mosquitoes will take place in parts of Plymouth and Bristol counties beginning on Monday.
The 25 communities in the spray zone are Bridgewater, Carver, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Kingston, Lakeville, Marion, Mattapoisett, Middleborough, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Rochester, Rockland, Wareham, West Bridgewater, and Whitman in Plymouth County, and Acushnet, Easton, Raynham, and Taunton in Bristol County, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Saturday.
So far this year, 12 communities in southeastern Massachusetts have been found to be at moderate to critical risk for the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus.
A male under the age of 18 was exposed to EEE in Plymouth County, DPH reported on Aug. 3.
“As several communities in Southeastern Massachusetts are at elevated risk for EEE and this season’s first human case has been confirmed, the Commonwealth is acting to protect the public by conducting aerial spray operations to reduce the population of mosquitoes that transmit the EEE virus,” said SRMCB Chair and MDAR Commissioner John Lebeaux. “While spraying for mosquitoes can reduce but does not eliminate the risk of EEE transmission, we ask the public to be vigilant and take care to follow personal protection practices.”
The public is urged to use mosquito repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, and avoid outdoor activity between dusk and dawn in the highest risk areas.
Spraying will be conducted in the nighttime hours over several days.
Last year, the Bay State had 12 human cases of EEE and 6 deaths.
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