EEE detected in Providence, DEM says

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said Monday that a mosquito sample in Providence tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis.

The DEM said it was the third time this year that EEE was identified in Rhode Island. The trap had been set in September in the Capitol Hill area, and the positive result came from a species that bites both people and birds.

Alan Gettman, DEM’s mosquito abatement coordinator, said the mosquito population has declined significantly and that no new mosquitoes are being produced. But the DEM urged people to take the usual precautions against mosquitoes, including covering up and wearing repellent, until the first hard frost.

To date, three mosquito pools in Rhode Island have tested positive for West Nile virus, according to the DEM.