Worries about eastern equine encephalitis, a potentially fatal disease spread by mosquitos, have raised questions about whether Massachusetts can do more to control the insect pests. Four human cases of the disease have been reported in Massachusetts, one man in New Hampshire died, and several communities in New England are currently considered at critical risk of EEE.
And the short answer is, yes — the state could do more. There’s already a system of mosquito control districts in the Commonwealth, but not every community has opted into one. That results in a patchwork of protection and, since mosquitos don’t know where municipal boundaries are, elevated risks in some places.
As climate change expands the geographic reach of mosquito-borne illnesses, more communities in high-risk areas should consider joining a district. There may also be a need for the state to offer money to ensure that any high-risk town where residents want to enhance their mosquito control services can.
Today, according to a state map, every town in Plymouth, Bristol, and Norfolk counties, which have historically been at the highest risk for mosquito-borne disease, belongs to a mosquito control district. In Western Massachusetts, participation in mosquito control districts is spotty.
But that’s not necessarily bad. Risk is lower in Western Massachusetts, and in places where agriculture is a more sizable part of the economy, voters may be concerned about the impact of spraying on farms and beehives.
The problem arises in places like Worcester County, where the maps don’t align. These are areas that are increasingly high-risk for disease but where towns have not joined mosquito control districts. For example, in announcing state-sponsored spraying, the Department of Public Health said of seven southern Worcester County towns considered at high or critical risk for EEE, two were sprayed as part of a mosquito control district, so the state would spray the other five.
The split approach doesn’t make sense. From a public health perspective, the five towns may have been better served with earlier services. Mosquito control districts don’t just spray; they do preventative work, like draining ditches to avoid standing water and applying products to kill larvae in wetlands, conduct surveillance of mosquitos to identify disease, and offer regular spraying before diseases reach crisis levels.
David Lawson, director of the Norfolk County Mosquito Control District, said if these communities had been getting regular mosquito control services, “maybe that would be just enough to prevent it from becoming an issue.”
From an equity perspective, the current approach also means some towns are paying for their own spraying while others have state-funded spraying.
To some extent, it may simply take towns time to acclimate to a new level of risk, since climate change is changing historic mosquito patterns. “Not only do we see outbreaks happening more frequently but we’re also seeing increased activity in parts of the state we didn’t used to see activity, including southern Worcester County,” said state epidemiologist Catherine Brown.
But the state can help communities make the decision to join a mosquito control district. Grants could help offset costs for the first few years. The state can incentivize community decision-making that benefits public health, for example through its Community Compact Cabinet program.
Of course, not every community will want to join a mosquito control district, and that decision should be up to local voters. In general, if using modern products, the benefits of mosquito sprays in high-risk areas are thought to outweigh the risks. But no insecticide is completely safe.
In some cases, though, finances are the deciding factor, not environmental concerns. Membership dues are based on the mosquito control district’s annual budget and each town’s land value.
In Oxford, a Worcester County town now considered at critical risk for EEE, town manager Jennifer Callahan said the state hadn’t seen a major outbreak of EEE since 2019 so it hadn’t been a priority to spend the approximately $80,000 a year it would cost to join a mosquito control district. “It all comes down to the cost,” Callahan said.
Callahan said just like the state offered extra assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic to hard-hit areas, she would like to see the state offer grants to high-risk communities to offset the cost of joining a mosquito control district. “As we look forward to climate change … there might be opportunities to incentivize communities to enter into a closer partnership in the name of public health,” Callahan said.
In nearby Douglas, town administrator Matt Wojcik said it’s an annual decision whether to join a mosquito control district. Douglas is currently labeled critical risk for EEE, and Wojcik said, “We want to make sure we’re protecting the public to the degree the public will support.” Some residents worry about the impact of spraying on the local environment, including local beehives and gardens. And finances are a big issue: It would cost the town $104,000 annually to join the Central Mass Mosquito Control Project, and the town can only increase its tax levy by around $350,000 a year, under state law limiting property tax increases.
“We’re a small town, and our revenue growth year over year is not that impressive,” Wojcik said. “Those kinds of numbers don’t really work for us.”
Timothy McDonald, president of the Massachusetts Health Officers Association and Needham’s director of health and human services, said mosquito control districts are “a pretty good example of the system we have in the state” for public health generally, in which affluent communities are more likely to get services than poorer ones. “It’s not based on risk, it’s based on who has resources,” McDonald said.
But that’s not the best way to protect public health. In the midst of an active season for mosquito-borne diseases, it might be time for communities to reevaluate what level of risk they are willing to bear before investing in mosquito control. If necessary, the state should offer money to help them.
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