Old Lyme first selectwoman responds to local EEE death
In response to news that an Old Lyme resident who contracted eastern equine encephalitis earlier this month has died, Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder has outlined precautions the town is taking to address the threat of the virus.
In a news release Tuesday night, she also said the town sends “heartfelt condolences to the family of the victim.”
Besides being in regular contact with Ledge Light Health District, the selectman’s office has participated in scheduled conference calls with the state Department of Public Health, “which provides updates on tests and recommendations,” and is following all the department’s recommendations to date. The next conference the town has scheduled with the department is Thursday, Reemsnyder said.
She also detailed that the town has warned that all outdoor sports activities should end by 5:30 p.m. and that people should move indoors “well before dusk.”
The town contracts with Innovative Mosquito to manage a plan addressing nuisance mosquitoes. “We regularly use non-chemical dunks in our catch basins, and monitor the mosquito population along the marshland of the shoreline neighborhoods,” Reemsnyder said. “When warranted, backpack adulticide spraying is done to reduce the population."
But those efforts largely target daytime-biting mosquitoes, which have not tested positive for EEE, she said. "It is the night time mosquitos that have tested positive, and so far, none of the mosquitos tested from Old Lyme have been positive for the virus,” she said in the release.
With news of the latest victim from Old Lyme, Reemsnyder said Mosquito Innovative and the state Department of Agriculture have increased trapping in the freshwater areas of town to assess the mosquito population. Those results are not yet available, she said, but the town will follow any recommendations based on the outcome.
“If spraying is recommended, we will follow up immediately, and are prepared to do so,” Reemsnyder added.
She said the town will continue to stay in touch with the Ledge Light Health District and the state Department of Public Health, and also will follow all recommendations from those agencies. All updates from Ledge Light will be posted on the town’s website.
“We urge all residents to take this threat seriously, and take all precautions to avoid mosquitos,” Reemsnyder said. “Once again, our heartfelt condolences are sent to the family whose loved one has succumbed to this tragic illness.”
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