When I was in elementary school, I would often brainstorm various ways school could be cancelled. My daydreams ranged from major rainstorms to zombie apocalypses. Now, I have the ability to send a quick email to my professor explaining I can’t make it to class because I don’t want to risk catching Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). That’s right: Connecticut College students can add E.E.E. to the list of potential viruses they may catch.
EEE is a rare, potentially fatal illness caused by bites from infected adult mosquitoes. There have been several cases in the northeast region, including Connecticut. In fact, an East Lyme resident infected with the virus died, the first fatality of EEE in the state since 2013, according to a CNN article.
After hearing about the news of this death and of another CT resident testing positive for the virus, the college sent out a campus-wide email bringing students’ attention to the gravity of the situation (if they didn’t delete the email before opening it).
Symptoms occur three to ten days after a person has been bitten and include headaches, fevers, chills, stiff neck, muscle aches, tremors, and confusion. The symptoms can even progress to a coma or brain swelling. According to the DPH website, 25-30% of cases are fatal, but one half of survivors suffer permanent neurological damage. The fact that three out of ten people will survive the virus are odds I do not want to risk. Only last week I took to sleeping in the heat rather than opening my window in fear that infected mosquitoes would enter my room from the holes in my screen. Needless to say, it will take more than a lack of sleep or the Sunday Scaries for you to contract EEE, but it is still vital to take measures to insure your safety.
In the email, the College listed four survival tips, including minimizing your time outdoors between dusk to dawn, putting screens in your windows, wearing appropriate clothing that minimizes exposed skin, and applying mosquito repellent. The email also contained links to the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Connecticut Mosquitto Management website. The first website provided some comfort, listing various CT towns where infected mosquitoes have been spotted. New London was not listed, but Groton and Stonington were. Although there have been more cases of EEE in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Jersey, the threat will still remain in CT until the first heavy frost of the season.
Daniel Varela ‘22, SGA Chair of Residential Affairs, voiced his concerns to Dean Rothenberger. As a result, facilities provided screens for all residential halls to distribute. Varela also says that SGA is looking into providing bug spray for students. He goes on to say that SGA hopes “to push social media awareness daily as well as potentially finding ways to collaborate with other offices on campus to help keep our campus safe.”
Hannah Maki ‘21, Floor Governor for Knowlton House, explained that “students are encouraged to reach out to their floor governors and house fellows if they have any issues or concerns.” I appreciated the extra screens, especially since my current window screens have various wears and tears from over the years, but what are students supposed to do when walking around campus at night for student meetings, rehearsals, or night classes?
Ashley Drummey ‘21 has a night class on Monday. When dressed appropriately, Drummey is not as fearful of EEE; however, she says, “I especially feel scared when I am walking back from the gym because I feel like that area is generally more buggy.” I personally wake up early in the morning to hit the gym before starting the day.
Although I squirt bug spray on my limbs, with each step towards the Athletic Center, I feel a little bit more paranoid.
Paranoia now runs rampant in my veins. I found a stray mosquito napping on my bed, which I promptly killed, but unfortunately I smeared its guts on my sheets resulting in me frantically calling my mom and asking whether or not I should change my sheets. I did. For the rest of the night I kept imagining bugs crawling on my limbs and feared that my mysterious sore throat was a new symptom of the virus (despite it not being listed on the DPH website). I feared that the mosquitoes knew I was writing this piece and wanted revenge, not only for the death of their relative, but also my betrayal of their species.
Students should not have to worry about contracting EEE in the midst of midterms. The threat of the virus has impacted student athletes more directly as they must brace the wilderness on the walk to the AC. Because of the disease, many sports teams now end practice around 6 p.m., when mosquitoes supposedly come out. Daphne Miche ‘21, who is on Conn’s rowing team, explains, “We often don’t have as much time on the water because of the mosquitoes, and being on the water is the point of the sport.” Although the coach and team respect the time restraints, leaving the water by 6 p.m. limits practice time. Miche goes on to say that she doesn’t feel safe “walking up from the boathouse or athletic center at night.”
In the most recent “On the Can,” there was a small blurb with helpful tips on how to protect yourself from EEE. The most obvious is using a repellent with an EPA-registered ingredient such as DEET, permethrin, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. I don’t know about you, but this jargon overwhelms me. I just spray Off! all over my body as if it were Juicy Couture perfume and hope for the best. I feel like I am playing a game of Russian roulette when I leave my room wearing shorts or open my window a crack to let out the stifling air. You may want to think twice about wearing a mini skirt or shorts before leaving on a Saturday night to go to the upperclassmen apartments.
I am counting down the days until the first heavy frost, which typically occurs in October, and I was happy to escape from the mosquitos during Fall Break. I am from Massachusettes, so maybe I am safer at Conn… Although the College has informed the student body about how to protect ourselves from EEE, I wonder if there are more preventative measures we can practice,or if the disease is just another instance of man-versus-nature that we cannot control. On the plus side, EEE would be a pretty scary Halloween costume. But really guys, be cautious until we can all put away the bug spray until next year. •
