Following EEE Test, Town Likely To Spray Again

The town of Lynnfield announced Tuesday that it will soon announce an additional schedule and targets for mosquito spraying following a positive test sample earlier in the week for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).

In its announcement, the town confirmed that it learned of the positive EEE sample only after carrying out spraying late last week. That spraying was in response to a separate positive EEE mosquito sample detected in Reading.

“Residents are urged to take personal protection measures to protect from mosquito bites, such as using repellants and scheduling outdoor events to avoid the hours between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active,” said the town’s announcement. “The key priority is to avoid bites from mosquitoes. Again as we transition to our target and spray schedule another announcement will be sent."

In light of these test results, another neighboring town, Wakefield, was set to carry out its own spraying on Thursday night. Like Lynnfield, Wakefield’s spraying is to be conducted in the area closer to the Reading border, in response to the positive sample in that town. Wakefield expects to get back its own test results on Thursday.

Another neighboring town, Middleton, is canceling its outdoor sports programs until barriers spraying is completed.

“Recent information from the Northeast Mosquito Control District has indicated that positive results have been identified in mosquito pools throughout the Northeast  including, but not limited to, Ipswich, Topsfield, Boxford, Lynnfield, Methuen, Peabody.  Additional recent results have identified EEE virus in mosquito pools in Haverhill, Hamilton, and two positives of EEE mosquito pools in the abutting town of Lynnfield.   One of the positives in Lynnfield was from a mammal biting mosquito,” said an announcement from Middleton Director of Public Health Derek Fullerton on that town’s website.