Graphic by Dina Kats
Josh Walensky
News Reporter
A recent outbreak of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, commonly known as Triple E, has caused many inhabitants of the Massachusetts area to be more cautious about their whereabouts and time spent outdoors.
Triple E is a deadly virus transmitted by mosquitoes which can cause inflammation of the brain. So far this year, four people in Massachusetts have tragically passed away from the illness. At Newton South, our lively community is frequently outdoors due to sports games and practices, field trips, wellness classes, and more; EEE has definitely been on the minds of many at our school.
Luckily, the city of Newton is in a low risk zone for EEE, and has not had any recorded cases of the disease. However, neighboring towns such as Weston, Wayland, Sudbury, and Framingham have moderate to critical risks for mosquitoes carrying the virus. Many of these towns have changed after school sports schedules to reduce any possibilities of the disease being acquired. Because Newton South sports teams are constantly travelling to different cities around the area, EEE risks are an extremely crucial thing to pay attention to. Patricia Rodriguez, the Director of Athletics and Wellness here at Newton South, is continually in touch with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and many different towns’ health departments.
“When we go to another town, we follow the guidelines that the Health Department has imposed in that town. When we have night games here, we consult with our Health Department and ask if we should cancel or we should move the times. For our recent night games under the lights, we were told us go ahead because there were no concerns and we are at low risk in Newton,” said Rodriguez.
Unlike near towns, sports schedules at Newton South have not been altered. Rodriguez, however, still ensures that it is necessary to take some precautions in order to keep the students safe.
“Students should avoid being outside from 6:30 at night to 6:30 in the morning, and should remember to use repellent, no matter what hour it is,” Rogriguez said.
Joey Cohen, captain of the soccer team and senior at Newton South, believes that EEE in Newton is a very minimal issue.
“They wouldn’t let us play if it was an actual issue. I think that the risk is so low that it would be annoying if they didn’t let us play,” said Cohen.
While Cohen expressed the insignificance of the problem in Newton, he also shared that some team members have begun using insect repellent for games past dusk, when most mosquitoes come out.
Precautions involving the EEE virus have also affected Newton South in ways other than sports. Several Junior Global History class’ field trips to Concord and Lincoln were canceled. Andrew Thompson, one of the American History teachers who experienced this cancellation, thinks the cancellation was necessary but definitely disappointing.
“We and the students were upset because [the trip] is a really important foundation for a lot of the work that we do here for the rest of the year, setting up some themes and project ideas that we’ll come back to. Although we were certainly disappointed that it was canceled, we also need to respect that the administration needs to be careful about securing the health of the students which is obviously the most important thing. Even though it’s still a pretty rare occurrence, it’s nonetheless a risk we have to be mindful about,” Thompson said.
Regardless of Newton’s low risk for EEE, precautions for the illness have been taken by our administration. In addition, the topic has been on the minds of both students and faculty in our community.
