Days after learning it had recorded the state’s first human case of EEE in four years, a town outside of Worcester has recommended sports practices be held outside of evening hours and moved indoors if possible.
Oxford is one of the four towns where the state Department of Public Health raised the risk level for EEE to critical last Friday after an 80-year-old man was exposed to a mosquito infected with the disease.
Oxford’s neighboring towns of Sutton, Webster and Douglas are also at critical risk.
The recommendation to finish outdoor activities before “peak mosquito biting time” – before 6 p.m. through Sept. 30 and before 5 p.m. starting Oct. 1 until the first hard frost – came during a heated Board of Health meeting on Wednesday.
Oxford schools will be following the recommendation, which health board Chairwoman Kerrie Singer and Director of Public Health Services Rike Sterrett stressed is not a ban on outdoor activities after those times.
“The hope is they, when able, will move the activities to those indoor locations or move practices up or move them to the weekend,” Sterrett said. “I understand this is not ideal for anybody, but we take this really seriously.”
Private and recreational leagues or organizations that decide to use town property and not follow recommendations must “complete and file an indemnification form with and provide proof of adequate insurance coverage to both the Recreation Commission and Town Manager’s Office.”
That’s according to a memo Town Manager Jennifer Callahan wrote to the Board of Health. In it, she explained she’s been in touch with a family member of the individual diagnosed twice within the past week. The man remains hospitalized, “courageously battling this virus,” she wrote.
“They want people to be aware this is an extremely serious disease with terrible physical and emotional consequences,” Callahan wrote of the family. “They want residents to take the public health recommendations … seriously.”
Other recommendations to keep safe include applying insect repellent and mosquito-proofing homes, consistent with the state Department of Public Health. Sutton, Webster and Douglas have also implemented the guidelines.
Singer said the board learned about the EEE risk being raised to critical last Friday, and Wednesday’s meeting marked the first discussion on the development and protocols.
“I would ask that you give us the opportunity to please discuss this and not interrupt us during this meeting,” she said. “I think you would be very enlightened to hear what we have to say and be educated about this.”
Within minutes, Singer found herself in an exchange with a resident, repeatedly saying “I’m going to ask you to please sit as we continue.” The resident responded “Madam chair, I’m just asking to make sure that we will be heard tonight,” and then “Madam chair, I’m trying to be as professional as possible.”
Singer did not allow comments from the public, calling questions from residents an “open meeting violation.” The board chair recessed the meeting for roughly 10 minutes.
Before Oxford became designated as a critical risk, the state had collected mosquito traps and sampling about every two weeks. Trapping is now being conducted much more often, Sterrett said.
Though rare, EEE is serious and a potentially fatal disease that can affect people of all ages, according to state health officials.
There were 12 human cases of EEE in Massachusetts in 2019 with six deaths, and five human cases with one death in 2020. There were no human cases of EEE in Massachusetts in 2021, 2022, or 2023.
The first symptoms include high fever, stiff neck and a lack of energy which typically occur within 3 to 10 days after being bitten by a mosquito infected with EEE, Sterrett said. Symptoms could progress to encephalitis, the swelling of the brain, she said, adding how 22 people have died in Massachusetts within the past couple of decades.
“Those who do survive Triple E will often be permanently disabled due to neurological damage,” Sterrett said. “Few people who get Triple E, who are diagnosed with it, recover completely. That’s why, knowing all of this … we do take this very seriously.”
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