Towns in Massachusetts are being told to stay indoors at night due to fears of a deadly mosquito virus being spread. The viral disease, eastern equine encephalitis, was first detected in a man in his 80s in 2020. Now an Oxford man, over 50 miles from west of Boston , and a horse in the historical town of Plymouth, about 40 miles southeast of Boston , contracted the disease, state health officials announced Friday.
The spread coincides with warnings about West Nile virus, which is also transmitted via mosquito bites . The town known for hosting the first settlement of the 246-year-old country has issued a curfew for public outdoor recreational facilities from dusk until dawn each evening. Four other towns have also urged people to avoid going outside at night.
Warning issued as deadly West Nile virus detected in New York City Bird flu detected in domestic cats as feds expand slaughterhouse testing The news comes as the bird flu was detected in domestic cats and health officials approve slaughterhouse testing expansion to curb the spread at farms. Also, the West Nile virus took a hold over the summer , which is typical for the mosquito disease. State health officials warned that four neighboring towns south of Worcester – Douglas, Oxford, Sutton and Webster – are at "critical risk" after an Oxford man caught the virus.
Residents of those towns are being told to avoid the outdoors during peak mosquito biting times, which is after 6 p.m. until Sept.
30 and then 5 p.m. after t.