The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services are encouraging people to protect themselves against Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV). As summer is coming to an end, both viruses have been found in New England.
Both EEE and WNV are transmitted through mosquitoes, so the best prevention is to avoid mosquito bites.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends:
- Wearing long sleeves if you must stay outdoors from dusk to dawn – your risk for a mosquito bite increases at this time as the mosquitoes are most active.
- Wearing long pants.
- Using mosquito repellent (EPA approved).
- Staying indoors after dusk if you live in a spraying area.
- Making sure that you don’t have water containers outside – make holes for water to drain.
- Checking your window screens to make sure they don’t have holes.
Learn more about both diseases and prevention on the Massachusetts DPH website.
