A diagnosis of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in an unnamed Plymouth County man has led the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to declare the towns of Duxbury, Norwell and Plymouth to be at high risk for the often-fatal mosquito-borne brain disease.

Accordingly, the Duxbury Board of Health has directed that public events, including athletic contests, be curtailed at 6:45 p.m. According to Health Agent Tracy Mayo, the ban will be in effect until the unknown date of the first killing frost.
While most active at dusk and dawn, mosquitoes cannot tell time or read maps. They pose a 24-hour risk throughout the region, and Mayo advises citizens to take personal precautions, such has wearing long sleeves and using insect repellent. Children, in particular, should be well-daubed with repellent.
Weekly ground spraying will continue in Duxbury for several more weeks. Modern insecticides are non-toxic to human beings and animals, including birds. The purpose of chemical spraying, despite the inconveniences on sports programs and other long-planned public outdoor activities, is to save one life – perhaps a child’s -- one time.
To that end the health agent asks for the public’s cooperation.