‘Tragic, sudden loss’: Family of NH man who died from EEE commends spraying in Massachusetts

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — The family of a 41-year-old Hampstead, New Hampshire man who died from EEE is commending proactive spraying that’s underway in at-risk Massachusetts communities.

Steven Perry was hospitalized on Aug. 12 due to a severe central nervous system disease and died on Aug. 19.

His sister and mother told Boston 25 News that an autopsy revealed the cause of death was a rare mosquito-borne illness.

Perry, who’s the first human case of the virus in the Granite State in ten years, was laid to rest on Monday.

His loved ones want others to be aware of the potentially deadly disease.

“It was such a tragic, sudden loss, and the progression of this virus is rapid. It’s horrible,” said sister Susan Hamilton.

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Perry’s family said he was healthy and had no underlying medical conditions that they knew of.

They don’t know where he contracted Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

“Given how deadly this virus is, even though it’s rare, the only prevention is doing the things that the news is now encouraging people to do,” Hamilton told Boston 25 News.

Several towns in Plymouth and Worcester Counties were sprayed on Tuesday night to try to prevent the spread of EEE.

Two small aircrafts, contracted by the state of Massachusetts, took off from Plymouth Municipal Airport at dusk and began releasing the EPA-registered pesticide Anvil 10+10.

“Some people are thinking this is going to be crop dusting or something like that when in fact we use about a shot glass worth of product to treat an acre,” said Laura McGowan with Illinois-based Clarke.

McGowan said the planes rely on wind direction to disperse the pesticide.

She anticipated that the aircrafts would remain in the sky until about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

“If you happen to be outdoors during that time, there’s no reason for concern,” she added.

Health officials encourage people to use bug spray with DEET, wear long-sleeved clothing, and avoid being out between dusk and dawn when possible.

The town of Plymouth announced on Friday that it was closing public outdoor recreation facilities from dusk to dawn every day after a horse was infected with EEE.

State health officials are also warning that a cluster of four towns south of Worcester —Oxford, Sutton, Douglas, and Webster — are at “critical risk” after a man from Oxford contracted the virus earlier this month.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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