HAMDEN — Hamden has joined several towns in Connecticut in temporarily suspending outdoor activities after dusk after one person diagnosed with EEE died and the state’s second human case was reported.
According to a statement released by town officials, the suspension begins October 1 and includes all athletic league practices and games scheduled on or at Hamden’s fields and facilities.
“The Health District has just notified the Town that the EEE Virus has been identified in our region,” Mayor Curt Leng said. “As a precautionary measure, the Town and BOE are immediately suspending outdoor early morning and evening activities until further notice.”
The Town of Hamden and Hamden Board of Education says they have made their decision upon the recommendation of the Quinnipiack Valley Health Department..
A full transcript of QVHD’s advisory notice and more information on the EEE Virus and other protective measures can be read below.
The Town says it will proceed with all further recommendations from the Health Department regarding the EEE virus and will release more information as it becomes available.
Via the Quinnipiack Valley Health Department:
September 30, 2019
Today, Quinnipiack Valley Health District (QVHD) received a report that the Bethany trapping station had a Cs. melanura mosquito pool collected on September 23, 2019 test positive for eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV). According to the CDC, “Cs. melanura is not considered to be an important vector of EEEV to humans because it feeds almost exclusively on birds.
QVHD advises residents of the QVHD to protect themselves and their children by taking personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites and minimizing outdoor activity from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. The Health District will continue to monitor mosquito activity and update messages until the first hard frost.
QVHD recommends the following precautionary measures:
- The suspension of school and town sponsored activities from dusk to dawn, when mosquitos are most active.
- If outdoor activity is unavoidable, especially around dawn or dusk, be sure to use insect repellent and cover bare skin.
- Use insect repellent, according to label instructions, when it is necessary to be outdoors.
- Be sure door and window screens are tight-fitting and in good repair.
- Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time. Clothing should be light-colored and made of tightly woven materials that keep mosquitoes away from the skin.
- Eliminate mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from buckets, barrels and other containers.
- Consider mosquito-netting for carriages, strollers and tents.
The Department of Public Health (DPH) continues to advise against unnecessary trips into mosquito breeding grounds such as marshes as the mosquitoes that transmit EEE virus are associated with freshwater swamps. Overnight camping or other substantial outdoor exposure in freshwater swamps in Connecticut should be avoided.
Visit the EPA website to learn more about which safe and effective repellent is right for you and your family: https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents.
