The Green Mountain state followed
neighboring Massachusetts in recommending that residents stay indoors during
nighttime hours amid a rise in EEE cases.

The Vermont Department of Health
“strongly recommend[ed]” that residents in some of the state’s
busiest towns remain indoors between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., when mosquitoes—known
carriers of the virus—were most active. This precaution came alongside the
postponement of local nighttime festivals and concerts.

EEE, transmitted by mosquitoes and
originating from infected horses, could lead to brain swelling, vomiting,
seizures, and death.

While the virus is rare, affecting
approximately 11 Americans annually, it had already claimed one life in New
England in 2024. Steven Perry, 41, a father of four, died from the virus in New
Hampshire the previous week, marking the state’s first case in a decade.

In Massachusetts, similar curfews
were implemented, resulting in the postponement of sports games, cookouts, and
other end-of-summer events. Vermont’s measures mirrored those taken across
state lines.

August saw the first human case of
EEE in Vermont since 2012. The Vermont Health Department identified Burlington,
Colchester, Alburg, Swanton, and Sudbury as areas at highest risk, following
the detection of 47 groups of infected mosquitoes across 11 communities—a
significant increase from the previous year’s 14 positive groups in three
towns.

Notable event cancellations included
Burlington’s annual Oktoberfest, one of the state’s largest gatherings. The
event’s organizer issued a statement: “While the eventual outcome of this
virus’ impact and the general response from the public is not our judgment call
to make, the significant costs associated with organizing this event prevented
us from delaying this decision any further to find out.”

Additional cancellations affected
music and food festivals, art shows, concerts, and outdoor movies.

With no vaccine or specific
treatment available for EEE, the Vermont Health Department emphasized that
prevention is crucial. “The best way to reduce your risk of infection with
EEE is by limiting time outdoors at dawn and dusk,” officials advised. If
outdoor activity was necessary, they recommended using bug spray and wearing
long sleeves.

Notably, EEE targets the nervous
system similarly to other mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile. Initial
symptoms include flu-like signs such as fever, chills, and body aches, which
could progress to more severe conditions like brain swelling, mild disability and
death in about 30 percent of cases. Individuals over 50 or under 15 are
particularly vulnerable to severe complications.