Multiple districts in the Hudson Valley and the surrounding states have been the victims of a unique and dangerous animal disease that has a remarkable deaths rate of 30 %. This threat, largely unknown to the public until today, has previously infected its second victims—a horses in Orange County, New York, and an old gentleman in Massachusetts.
The virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis ( EEE), transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, has health officials on high alert. In response to the growing menace, four cities in Massachusetts—Douglas, Oxford, Sutton, and Webster—have taken the extraordinary step of implementing a voluntary night lockdown to curb the spread of this potentially deadly disease, the New York Post reported.
As a precautionary measure successful from September 30 through the Oxford Board of Health’s vote on Wednesday, residents were asked to stay inside until after 6:00 pm. Residents are advised to stay indoors after 5:00 pm until the first hard frost of the season brings an end to the mosquitoes threat as the shiver of October sets in.
This expert, shared with Fox News Digital, highlights the critical time from night through dawn as “peak malaria time”, during which the risk of contracting the disease is highest. The four cities have been designated as” critical-risk” areas.
What is Electrical?
Eastern Equine Encephalitis is not just another mosquito-borne condition. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) describes EEE as a “rare but serious disease”, one that, while infrequent, carries devastating consequences. Just a small number of cases are reported in the US each time, primarily in the Eastern and Gulf Coast states, according to the CDC.
Despite its uniqueness, the disease’s effect is deep, with no vaccinations available to prevent it and no medications to treat it when contracted.
The organization also makes note of the fact that Electrical infected people and other animals are considered “dead-end visitors,” meaning they may transmit the virus to mosquitoes and prevents their spread.
