Aerial spraying to combat risk of EEE in parts of Middleboro, Rochester, Wareham

Aerial spraying will be conducted in parts of several towns in Plymouth County including Middleboro, Rochester and Wareham to mitigate the risk of contracting the mosquito-borne illness Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). 

Spraying is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Aug. 27, depending on weather conditions. 

Coverage of the entire area at risk in Plymouth County may take several nights of spraying, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reports.

The entire town of Carver, and parts of Halifax, Kingston, Middleboro, Plymouth, Plympton, Rochester, and Wareham will be sprayed. A mapping tool detailing planned spray areas is available at www.massnrc.org/spray-map/Region/Map/1033. These maps will be updated daily to reflect the areas that were sprayed the night before.

Spraying begins at dusk and will end by dawn each day. Planes spotted overhead at dusk in the spray zones are either conducting the aerial spray or preparing to do so, the Department of Public Health informs. 

Spraying schedules are subject to change, so the state department advises that residents in spray zones assume their area is being sprayed each night unless the mapping tool confirms the area has already been sprayed. 

EEE is a rare but serious disease caused by a virus that can affect people of all ages, according to the state department. It is generally spread to humans through the bite of a mosquito infected with the virus. EEE can cause severe illness and possibly lead to death in any age group, but people under 15 years old and over 50 are at particular risk. A high risk of occurrence of human cases of EEE exists in 2024.