Rich DiPentima: EEE threat is real and it's not going away

CONSIDERING the number of mosquito pools testing positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and other arbo-viruses, the number of horses infected with EEE and the unfortunate human cases, I think it is time to more than only warn people of the serious risks. “We are very concerned,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Chan.

“These are very serious diseases.” While the state provides information to communities and assists with mosquito testing, it does not mandate any community mosquito control measures. In the absence of such state mandates, it is up to each community to make those decisions for itself.



Unfortunately, that is not an effective prevention strategy. Mosquitoes do not respect town and city boundaries. If one community decides to initiate a more aggressive mosquito control program, including the spraying of pesticides, it will help that community, but adjoining communities are still at risk and infected mosquitoes will continue to move between communities.

We are at the point with EEE that if it continues to increase a public health emergency should be declared by the governor in those communities where the number of infected mosquito pools is greatest. The state should provide financial and other assistance to those communities to increase mosquito surveillance, perform mosquito larviciding, and conduct evening or early-morning spraying. Local health officials must alert people to the risks of having any standing water on their property and to take action to eliminate those standing-water mosquito breeding locations.

When I was New Hampshire’s chief of communicable disease epidemiology, we had concerns about EEE but they never reached the level we are now seeing. Back then, we could expect a hard frost that would end the mosquito season by September 25. Today, because of global warming, a hard freeze here in southern New Hampshire comes around October 25.

That gives mosquitoes an additional month to spread very serious diseases and, in the case of EEE, kill 30% of its victims. It is time for the state and local government officials to do much more to protect our people and our economy. With the threat of these diseases and little being done to control it, tourists will avoid the Granite State at a very high tourist season.

That may protect tourists who stay home, but it won’t help those of us living with an ongoing threat..