EEE fears cancel some Halloween activities in Grafton

The scariest part of Halloween this year may be the mosquitos.

The Grafton Public Library announced Thursday that it is cancelling its plans for trick-or-tresting on Grafton Common on Oct. 31, citing the Board of Health’s continued requirement that activities not be held on public property at dusk and after until the danger of mosquito-transmitted Eastern Equine Encephalitis has passed.

“We still need a good hard frost,” said Timothy Deschamps, executive director of the Central Mass Mosquito Project, during a presentation in Grafton Wednesday. “It just hasn’t been cold enough to kill off the infected mosquitos.”

A Grafton man is among the 12 confirmed cases of EEE in Massachusetts this year. Three people in the state have died from the disease, which has a 30-50 percent mortality rate. Most survivors will have severe, permanent neurological damage.

The risk of EEE has resulted in two aerial sprayings of Grafton and surrounding towns. Friday night games under the lights on Grafton High School’s field, as well as other evening activities.

“We canceled an August stargazing program because the ban applied to us as well — no evening outdoor programs,” Librarian Beth Gallaway said during a text conversation.

Grafton, unlike other nearby towns, does not set a day or times for trick-or-treating and Police Chief Normand Crepeau Jr. has said in the past he prefers not to be the “Halloween Police.” But back in 2011, when a sudden blizzard knocked out power in most of Grafton, the town made the rare move to request that families delay their trick-or-treat plans.

On Monday, Town Meeting will consider the question of whether Grafton should join the Northborough-based Central Mass Mosquito Project at a cost f $71,000 a year for the next three years. While spraying is the most visible part of the group’s fight against disease-carrying mosquitos, it works to clear areas where mosquitos might breed and use preventative methods to kill larvae before they become adults.

The Finance Committee has recommended against the warrant article’s passage.

EEE is a fairly recent phenomenon locally, likely brought by birds to Massachusetts. Climate change has made conditions favorable to new species, Deschamps said.

Should parents choose to take their kids trick-or-treating, the state Department of Public Health recommends avoiding dusk, a time when mosquitos are the most active, Insect repellant containing Deet is recommended, as well as wearing long sleeves and pants to cover exposed skin.