skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Many Mass. Communities on High Alert for EEE for Holiday Weekend

play audio
Play

Friday, August 30, 2019   

BOSTON – State health officials want Massachusetts residents and their visitors to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites during their Labor Day weekend activities.

Many communities face a "critical" risk for potentially deadly Eastern Equine Encephalitis after new cases were identified in horses. Four human cases of "Triple E" have been confirmed so far in Massachusetts this year, and earlier this week, a Fairhaven woman died while being treated for the virus.

State Epidemiologist and Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Catherine Brown says the disease can start with flu-like symptoms and lead to deadly complications.

"Really, it's all about preventing the mosquito bite,” says Brown. “As a virus, there is no specific treatment for EEE, and really, the primary prevention method is about taking the appropriate steps to avoid mosquito bites in the first place."

Triple-E is rare, and seems to come in cycles, although researchers believe climate change may play a role in the increased rates of insect-borne illnesses in the state.

In past outbreak years, critical risk was contained mostly to Bristol and Plymouth counties. Now it's spread throughout the state.

The risk of vector-borne illness could increase in late summer and early fall, when insects have had more time to contract and spread these viruses. But Dr. Brown says that doesn't mean people can't enjoy the last official weekend of summer; they just need to take some basic precautions.

"The mosquitoes that are most likely to spread EEE are most active between dusk and dawn, and so if you can just have your events earlier in the day and then move them inside at around dusk, that really is helpful in those particularly high-risk communities,” says Brown.

Health officials say to use insect repellants that contain DEET and oil of lemon eucalyptus to keep mosquitoes away, and try to avoid swampy areas and anywhere with standing water.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021