Second EEE Case Feared In Raynham
RAYNHAM (CBS) - Summer may be fading, but the risk of deadly infection from mosquitoes is still with us.
Health officials in Raynham said an elderly woman visiting from Missouri has apparently contracted EEE.
Earlier this month, an 80-year-old Raynham man died from EEE. Town officials have urged the state for aerial spraying of mosquitoes, but so far that has not taken place.
WBZ-TV's Paul Burton reports.
"Part of it was the money and part of it was they have concerns that it will damage the environment," said Joseph Pacheco, Chairman of the Board of Selectman. "Unfortunately now we've had one fatality confirmed and unfortunately the chance is that there could be another one."
"I definitely think it needs to be done, because even at the bus stop, they're getting bit," said Jannene Napolitano McLaughlin, a Raynham resident.
As a result of the EEE risk, the town moved all of the scheduled sports game to an earlier time when the mosquitoes are less active.
The EEE virus is virtually unknown in Missouri, where the latest potential victim is from. She has already returned to Missouri and is undergoing tests to confirm whether she has EEE. Those results should come back in about a week.
The threat from mosquito-borne illnesses will be with us until the first hard frost.
