The city of Norwich has announced it is ending all outdoor activities on any city fields by dusk after the first human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis was identified in Connecticut.
The Norwich Recreation Department announced Tuesday that they are canceling any use of fields after 6:30 p.m. each night in response to the EEE threat. Norwich Free Academy is doing the same.
Officials said the city will work with groups to reschedule games and practices. Organizers can contact the city at 860-823-3791 to work out new reservations.
This comes after an adult resident from a neighboring community tested positive for EEE.
EEE is a rare disease, but 30 percent of people who catch it die, and survivors typically suffer ongoing neurological problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease has been found in mosquitos in 12 towns, including Chester, Haddam, Hampton, Groton, Killingworth, Ledyard, Madison, North Stonington, Plainfield, Shelton, Stonington, and Voluntown. Horses have tested positive for EEE in Colchester and Columbia.
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The Connecticut Department of Public Health urges residents to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites, and hold off on activities like camping around freshwater swamps, where the mosquitoes that transmit EEE are most active.