Full Notification

TOWN OF TYNGSBOROUGH
Town Offices
25 Bryants Lane
Tyngsborough, MA 01879
Tel: (978) 649-2300 Ext. 100 | Fax: (978) 649-2320
COMMUNITY ADVISORY UPDATE
TYNGSBOROUGH REMAINS AT “CRITICAL” THREAT LEVEL
FOR MOSQUITO-BORNE ILLNESS

Halloween trick-or-treating date and time to be determined
Tyngsborough continues to remain at “critical” threat level for mosquito-borne illness, as designated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in early September due to an equine case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and the discovery of a mosquito infected with West Nile Virus in Tyngsborough. The Department of Public Health has been monitoring mosquito activity in town since late summer.

The public is advised to remain vigilant in protecting themselves and their family members from mosquito-borne illness. Outdoor recreational activity is recommended to occur only between the hours of dawn and dusk, with evening activities recommended to end by 6:00 PM. Beginning October 27th, evening activities are recommended to end by 5:30 PM. Beginning November 3rd, evening activities are recommended to end by 4:00 PM. These recommendations are in effect until the first hard frost.

Additionally, the scheduling of Halloween trick-or-treating in Tyngsborough will be dependent on the date of the first hard frost. An announcement regarding the date and time for trick-or-treating will be made on Tuesday, October 22nd. Information will be posted on the Police Department and Town website, Nixle, government television channel, social media, and circulated via email.

The following are tips from DPH to protect yourself:
1. Schedule outdoor events to avoid the hours between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
2. When you are outdoors, wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and socks. This will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.
3. Use a repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 (3-[N-butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid) or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-menthane 3, 8-diol (PMD)] according to the instructions given on the product label. DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age. Permethrin products are intended for use
on items such as clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.
4. Keep mosquitoes out of your house by repairing any holes in your screens and making sure they are tightly attached to all your doors and windows.
5. Remove areas of standing water around your home.
Complete information regarding mosquito-borne illness may be found on the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website by clicking on this link: http://www.mass.gov/dph/mosquito.

For more information, please contact the Tyngsborough Board of Health at 978-649-2300 x118.
-October 11, 2013-