EEE Risk Now Officially Over, Health Officials Say

WAYLAND, MA — Mosquitoes have been largely inactive for some time due to cold temperatures, but the risk of Eastern equine encephalitis is now officially over since there's been a hard frost in the MetroWest area, according to the Wayland Health Department.

"The first hard frost has occurred in Wayland and in widespread areas of the state. When temperatures between 27 to 29 degrees Fahrenheit have occurred over wide geographic areas, risk from mosquito-borne disease is considered to have ended inside that area," the town of Wayland Health Department said on Tuesday.

In 2019, twelve people from Massachusetts contracted EEE, and three people died. Towns and cities canceled outdoor activities during evening hours at the end of summer, and some communities even curtailed Halloween activities.

On Nov. 7, Natick lifted a 6 p.m. curfew on outdoor activities due to the reduced EEE risk.

"Due to the recent cold snap and the forecast of a cold front [Nov. 8] into the weekend, the EEE risk has been reduced to extremely low and most likely will end in the very near future," the town said in a statement.

The MetroWest area was for months at "critical" risk of EEE infections, according to state officials. The state Department of Public Health map of EEE Risk was last updated on Oct. 28, and still shows the area at "critical" risk, however.

Locally, Sudbury girl Sophia Garabedian, 5, survived a bout with EEE. She was released from the hospital on Oct. 4 after a month-long battle with the deadly virus.

Health officials are now turning their attention to summer 2020. Local residents should empty any standing water (if it's not already frozen), and make sure it doesn't collect come next spring.