Three EEE-Positive Mosquito Pools Found in Easton This Week

The Easton Health Department announced today that three pools of mosquitoes collected on Monday have tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis.

The positive tests represent both a bird biting species and mammal biting species, and represent the first positive pools found in the Shovel Town this month.

The last positive pools

Easton is currently at a "critical" risk level for mosquito-borne illness.

"The State of Massachusetts Department of Public Health is urging communities which have been designated at either 'Critical' or 'High' risk of EEE to cancel all planned evening outdoor events for the remainder of the season until the first hard frost," Heath Agent Kristin Kennedy said in an email message Wednesday.

Easton's Board of Health recently that gives it the authority to ban night-time activities at public places like parks and schools, but as of Wednesday had not passed any type of curfew. that most groups in town are already adhering to recommended curtail times.

On Monday, the state announced a third human case of EEE found in Massachusetts.

"People sometimes think that the threat of mosquitoes is over when summer ends, but the fact is that mosquitoes continue to be active well into the fall," said DPH State Epidemiologist Dr. Al DeMaria in a statement Monday. "That’s why it’s so important that we stay on guard against mosquito bites — use insect repellent, cover up exposed skin, and avoid outdoor activities at dusk and nighttime when mosquitoes are at their most active."

To see the most recent advisory issued by the Easton Board of Health,