NH INSIDER

Concord, NH - The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) today announced a positive test result for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in an Emu in the southwestern town of Alstead.

“This is an important finding,” said DHHS Public Health Director Dr. José Montero, “because up to now, we have not had positive EEE results in mammals or in species like emus in this region of the State. Since there is no history of EEE in this region, we will be setting up trapping to determine what type of mosquitoes are in that area.”

So far this season DPHS has tested 3,346 mosquito pools. Of those 53 tested positive for EEE. A horse in Bow, and a llama and alpaca in Candia have also tested positive for the disease. There have been no positive tests this season for West Nile Virus (WNV).

“We want people to remember that while this is a serious disease,” said Montero, “there are some very important prevention measures people can take to protect themselves and their loved ones, including using insect repellent, avoiding being outside when mosquitoes are biting, wearing long sleeves and pants, and eliminating standing water on your property.”

Questions about EEE and WNV can be answered by calling the toll free EEE/West Nile Virus hotline at 1-866-273-6453. You can also find extensive information about both diseases on our website www.dhhs.nh.gov.

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announces the first human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) this season in a child from Candia. The results of the test were just confirmed over the weekend by the Massachusetts public health lab.

“It is with much sadness that we have to make this announcement,” said DHHS Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas. “Our thoughts go out to the family of this child who is fighting this serious disease. I want to urge New Hampshire residents not to become complacent about taking protective measures against EEE and West Nile Virus (WNV) this season. Just because the weather is getting cooler does not mean the threat has passed.”

DHHS is also announcing a horse in Henniker tested positive for EEE. This is in addition to an alpaca and llama from Candia, and a horse from Bow, and 37 positive mosquito pools. The total number of mosquito pools tested so far this season is 2,970. There have been no positive test results in New Hampshire for West Nile virus this season.

DHHS recently included the following towns on a public health threat list because of EEE: Allenstown, Atkinson, Auburn, Barrington, Bedford, Bow, Brentwood, Candia, Chester, Chichester, Concord, Danville, Deerfield, Derry, Dover, Dunbarton, Durham, East Kingston, Epping, Epsom, Exeter, Fremont, Greenland, Goffstown, Hampstead, Hampton, Hampton Falls, Hooksett, Hopkinton, Hudson, Kensington, Kingston, Lee, Litchfield, Londonderry, Madbury, Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua, New Castle, Newfields, Newington, Newmarket, Newton, North Hampton, Northwood, Nottingham, Pelham, Pembroke, Plaistow, Portsmouth, Raymond, Rye, Salem, Sandown, Seabrook, South Hampton, Stratham, and Windham.

This public health threat declaration allows for expedited permitting for mosquito control and allows the State to reimburse cities and towns for up to 25% of their costs associated with mosquito control and abatement if local communities have an approved mosquito control plan and the State determines that there is a threat to residents from mosquito-borne illnesses.

“This increase in EEE activity in the State in recent weeks has been disturbing, so it is important that people remember to wear repellent when outside everywhere in the State not just in the towns covered by the public health threat declaration,” said Dr. Jose Montero, Public Health Director at DHHS. “EEE and West Nile are a continued concern until there is a hard frost statewide, which could be quite a few weeks away.”

For more, call the DHHS information line for EEE/West Nile virus questions at 1-866-273-6453 or visit the DHHS website at www.dhhs.nh.gov

 

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Prevention Guidelines for West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis

NH Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services

 

1. Eliminate standing water and other mosquito breeding locations around your property. Please do not attempt to drain or alter natural waterbodies for mosquito control, since the management of ponds and wetlands is regulated by the Department of Environmental Services and any planned alterations will require a permit before work may begin. In warm weather, mosquitoes can breed in any puddle that lasts more than 4 days!

· Remove old tires from your property.

· Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, or other containers. Don’t overlook containers that have become overgrown by aquatic vegetation.

· Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left outside

· Make sure roof gutters are clean and draining properly.

· Clean and chlorinate swimming pools and hot tubs. If not in use,keep empty and covered and keep covers free of standing water.

· Aerate garden ponds or stock them with fish.

· Turn over wheelbarrows and change water in birdbaths at least twice weekly.

· Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use.

· Remind or help neighbors to eliminate breeding sites on their properties.

 

2. Be aware of where mosquitoes live and breed and keep them from entering your home.

· Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Weeds, tall grass, and bushes provide an outdoor home for adult mosquitoes, including several species commonly associated with West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

· Mosquitoes can enter homes through unscreened windows or doors or broken screens. Make sure that doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace all screens in your home that have tears or holes.

· Resting mosquitoes can often be flushed from indoor resting sites by using sweeping motions under beds, behind bedside tables etc. and once in flight, exterminated prior to sleeping at night.

 

3. Protect yourself from mosquito bites.

· If outside during evening, nighttime, and dawn hours when mosquitoes are most active and likely to bite, children and adults should wear protective clothing such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks.

· Consider the use of an effective insect repellent, such as one containing DEET. A repellent containing 30% or less DEET (N, N-diethyl-methyl-meta-toluamide) for children and adults. Use DEET according to the manufacturer's directions. Children should not apply DEET to themselves. Repellents that contain Picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 have also been determined to be effective.

· Vitamin B, ultrasonic devices, incense, and bug zappers have not been shown to be effective in preventing mosquito bites.

For more information on West Nile Virus or Eastern Equine Encephalitis, call the NH Department of Health and Human Services toll-free West Nile Virus Information Line at 866–273–NILE (6543), or visit the DHHS website at www.dhhs.nh.gov.23367¹

Concord, NH – Today the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is placing additional towns on the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) public health threat list. This threat declaration allows for the possibility of providing assistance for threat mitigation to the included towns. The towns added to the list include: Allenstown, Barrington, Brentwood, Bow, Chichester, Concord, Danville, Dover, Dunbarton, Durham, East Kingston, Epping, Epsom, Exeter, Fremont, Greenland, Hampton, Hampton Falls, Hopkinton, Hudson, Kensington, Kingston, Lee, Litchfield, Madbury, Merrimack, Nashua, New Castle, Newfields, Newington, Newmarket, Newton, North Hampton, Northwood, Nottingham, Pelham, Pembroke, Plaistow, Portsmouth, Rye, Seabrook, South Hampton, and Stratham. The previously declared towns under the August declaration are Atkinson, Auburn, Bedford, Candia, Chester, Deerfield, Derry, Goffstown, Hampstead, Hooksett, Londonderry, Manchester, Raymond, Salem, Sandown, and Windham

 

DHHS is also announcing that a horse in Bow and a llama in Candia have both tested positive for EEE. These are in addition to the alpaca from Candia and 23 EEE positive mosquito pools. There have been no positive test results for West Nile virus (WMV) this season. So far this season the State Public Health Lab has tested 2,294 mosquito pools, 5 animals, and 66 human specimens from across the State for EEE and WNV.

 

The public health threat declaration allows for expedited permitting for mosquito control and allows the State to reimburse cities and towns for up to 25% of their costs associated with mosquito control and abatement if local communities have an approved mosquito control plan and the State determines that there is a threat to residents from mosquito-borne illnesses.

 

“In the last couple of weeks there has been an increase of EEE activity in the State so we are taking steps to help mitigate the threat,” said Dr. Jose Montero, Public Health Director at DHHS. “People need to remember though that the most important steps to take are personal protective measures including using insect repellent, avoiding being outside when mosquitoes are biting, wearing long sleeves and pants, and eliminating standing water on your property.”

 

Call the DHHS information line for EEE/West Nile virus questions at 1-866-273-6453 or visit the DHHS website at www.dhhs.nh.gov.

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) today is using a State law to provide additional assistance to communities to help prevent eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) by declaring a public health threat. The towns that have been offered the additional assistance are Atkinson, Auburn, Bedford, Candia, Chester, Deerfield, Derry, Goffstown, Hampstead, Hooksett, Londonderry, Manchester, Raymond, Salem, Sandown, and Windham. This action comes as a result of additional mosquito pools that tested positive for EEE in Manchester and Derry yesterday.

 

The law allows for expedited permitting for mosquito control and allows the State to reimburse cities and towns for up to 25% of their costs associated with mosquito control and abatement if local communities have an approved mosquito control plan and the State determines that there is a threat to residents from mosquito-borne illnesses.

 

“This is a prudent course of action to take to help towns control their mosquito populations in the future if necessary and hopefully reduce the threat of infected mosquitoes in these towns,” said Dr. Jose Montero, Public Health Director at DHHS. “We want to try to make sure that local communities have the tools they need to combat EEE effectively. This does not take the place of the precautions people should be taking to prevent these illnesses.”

 

Residents are encouraged to follow these simple steps to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes, the source of EEE and WNV: use an effective insect repellent, avoid being outside when mosquitoes are biting when possible, wear long sleeves and pants, and eliminate standing water on your property where mosquitoes can breed.

 

So far this season the State Public Health Lab has tested 2,021 mosquito pools, 3 animals, and 63 humans across the State for EEE and West Nile virus (WNV). There have been 13 positive mosquito pools and 1 alpaca identified with EEE. There have been no positives for WNV this year.

 

For more, call the DHHS information line for EEE/West Nile virus questions at 1-866-273-6453 or visit the DHHS website at www.dhhs.nh.gov.