As more communities have been placed under a state public health threat for Eastern equine encephalitis in recent days, local health officials are trying to keep the public aware of the dangers of the insect-borne disease.

According to Brian Lockard, Salem’s health officer, the town has been under a public health threat for EEE at one point or another through each of the last few summers. While the Department of Health and Human Service’s declaration for Salem late last month allows the town to seek up to 25 percent reimbursement for the costs associated with mosquito control, it more importantly alerts the community to the health risk, Lockard said.

“What it tries to do is make people more aware that this is the season where we see EEE,” Lockard said. “It’s a designation that you want to use to make people aware, but not to panic. We haven’t found it in Salem, but everyone should take precautions.”

The town’s mosquito control program – handled by Dragon Mosquito Control, a private company based in North Hampton – begins in April and continues on into October. While the town had the high school and middle school athletic fields sprayed for mosquitoes earlier this year, Lockard said officials would wait to see if any mosquitoes captured in the community tested positive for EEE before considering emergency spraying before the first frost.

“This was a wet summer and the concern was we would have a lot of mosquitoes breeding. (EEE) appears to be in the towns that seem to find it every year and southern Rockingham County seems to be the area where EEE presents itself. We will continue to monitor it and continue to take necessary action,” Lockard said. “Our program is ongoing. We’ll continue to treat wet areas and do surveillance and trap mosquitoes.”

In neighboring Windham, health officer David Poulson said the community was trying to take a proactive approach to the public health threat declaration.

According to Poulson, the town’s mosquito control agent, SWAMP Inc. out of Kittery, Maine, began spraying for mosquitoes around the community – mostly recreational and school athletic fields – on Sept. 9.

“We’re taking precautionary measures right now. We’re trying to be proactive. We can only do what we can do,” Poulson said. “I don’t think we’re at any greater risk.”

According to Beth Daly, an epidemiologist with DHHS, 29 mosquito pools have tested positive for EEE across the state so far this year. While the public health threat that has been declared for all of Rockingham County and some communities outside the county is the first this year, Daly said the state declares a health threat every year as EEE activity is spotted.

DHHS recommends that people take precautions for EEE by wearing mosquito repellants, avoid going out at dusk or dawn and try to eliminate mosquito breeding sites on their property, according to Daly.

In Salem, Lockard said the emphasis was on increasing awareness of EEE and getting the information out to the local residents.

“We try to put information out there. We have it on our Web site and on the cable station. We try to get the information out. It needs to be reinforced. The weather gets a little cooler and people may think about less about protecting themselves, but the mosquitoes are still active,” Lockard said. “People still need to take that precaution. Use repellant. It’s cooler at night, so wear long sleeves and if there is no need to be out at dusk or when it gets dark, go inside.”