State reports 1st case of EEE

“EEE is a devastating in all age groups, but especially in the elderly and very young,’’ said Dr. Alfred DeMaria, the state’s top disease tracker.

DeMaria said the man, whose identity has not been released, “is doing very poorly.’’

He said 40 to 50 percent of EEE infections are fatal and “about 80 percent of people who survive have significant neurological problems.’’

“Southeastern Massachusetts is an area that concerns us every year,’’ he added.

Joseph Pacheco, chairman of Raynham’s Board of Selectmen and Board of Health, said town officials received a call from the state yesterday afternoon alerting them that an elderly male resident had been infected. He said state officials did not identify the resident.

“Every year we have asked the state to do aerial spraying and they have been resistant to that,’’ Pacheco said. “Again this year we asked for aerial spraying and that hasn’t been done yet, but I hope that now it will be done.’’

State officials did conduct aerial spraying across a broad swath of Southeastern Massachusetts, including Raynham, last year in August after unusually high levels of EEE were detected in the mosquito population.

Responding to Pacheco’s concerns, state Department of Public Health spokeswoman Julia Hurley said in an e-mailed statement that the agency monitors mosquito populations and levels of virus each year and assesses that risk to the public, as well as the potential effectiveness of aerial spraying of pesticides.

“We’re not ‘resistant’ to spraying, as last year’s activities indicate,’’ Hurley said. “We have not deemed aerial spraying to be necessary thus far this summer.’’

Bristol County authorities conducted ground-based spraying of several areas in Raynham Thursday night.

There was one case of EEE in a Massachusetts resident in 2010, and in a Rhode Island resident who was probably exposed to the virus in Massachusetts, officials said.

Mosquitoes will be biting and potentially transmitting more infections until the first hard frost, officials said.

“It doesn’t capture a lot of attention until and unless there is a tragic situation like this that gets people’s attention, especially with this long weekend,’’ DeMaria said.

He said health officials are especially concerned because many people in Southeastern Massachusetts, which was hard-hit by Tropical Storm Irene last weekend, will be out cleaning up their yards and neighborhoods from the damage.

“We are very worried that people get distracted with school and work, and other things, and you sort of think mosquitoes aren’t around anymore,’’ DeMaria said.

Residents can take several steps to protect themselves from EEE and West Nile virus, another mosquito-borne disease.

Among those steps: Consider rescheduling outdoor activities to times when mosquitoes are less likely to be biting. Peak danger times are between dusk and dawn. Wearing long sleeves, long pants, and socks when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin. Apply insect repellent when outdoors.

Kay Lazar can be reached at klazar@globe.com