Members of the Harvard Board of Health (BOH) said this week that the detection of two dangerous mosquito-borne diseases in insects trapped at Bolton Flats in the town of Bolton was, in their view, a “non-emergency,” but a situation that called for further fact-finding by town boards, some measure of self-protection by residents, and perhaps a warrant article to permit spraying come spring.
The assessment came Tuesday night at the first post-Labor Day meeting of the Board of Selectmen (BOS) in the wake of news reports in the Harvard Press and elsewhere that West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) had been found by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in mosquitoes at the Bolton Flats Wildlife Management area. Coincidentally, a horse in Lancaster recently died of EEE.
At the invitation of BOS Chairman Peter Warren, BOH Chairman John Spero and the recently reelected health board member Lorin Johnson both appeared before the BOS and were later joined by Tom Phillipou, the remaining BOH member.
“We’re not here to say start spraying tomorrow,” Spero said. “We’re just getting the dialogue going and looking at all the possibilities. We know what Bolton is doing; we know what Boxborough has done. But to do any of this stuff, I believe we have to go to Town Meeting anyway. I don’t think we’re ready to call an emergency.”
The Bolton selectmen voted two weeks ago to begin emergency spraying in their town. Boxborough is already a member of the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control (CMMC) district, which provides a variety of services to the town. In Harvard, however, in spite of front-page coverage by area newspapers, only two Harvard residents have contacted either the BOH or the town to express concern.
“We’re watching to see what the reaction of the town is,” said Johnson. Historically Harvard has been opposed to spraying, he said, and although spraying might “help” it wouldn’t “eradicate the risk. I think we need to go to the town. We need to talk to you folks [the BOS] to see what your take on spraying is.”
When pressed, however, Johnson said he thought ultimately the town would likely end up wanting to take action next spring “if not sooner.”
“Are you moving towards putting an article on the Town Meeting warrant?” asked selectwoman Marie Solbalvarro.
“It would seem it would end up in that direction,” answered Johnson. “That’s an observation on my part,” he added.
Selectman Bill Johnson, however, pushed for a more definitive opinion and data that would allow the town to make a fact-based decision. “If you ask the town to take an action, it’s going to need some rationale,” he said. “How do we know when the risk has reached a point that action is needed?” he asked. “I don’t think it’s a Cons[ervation] Com[mission] decision. I don’t think it’s a Board of Selectmen decision. I think it’s a Town Meeting decision.” And, he added, as with any controversial Town Meeting issue, the BOH would need to reach out to the public and other town boards in urging any course of action.
As the half-hour discussion drew to a close, Warren “challenged” the BOH to undertake more public education, specifically a presentation by one or more state experts. “We leave that decision to you people,” he said.
“And this is in a non-emergency situation,” said BOH member Johnson, seemingly stating an opinion and seeking confirmation from the selectmen, who voiced agreement.
“If something happens that changes in your mind the situation from a non-emergency to an emergency, let us know,” Warren said.
“It wouldn’t be in my mind, “said Johnson. “It would be through the various services” with whom the BOH consults.
Outside the meeting, both Spero and Johnson urged a nuanced interpretation of their remarks. “I think our actions have shown that we’re certainly not panicking,” Johnson said. “It’s not the way to do anything. That isn’t to say that’s what Bolton did or anything like that. We’re from Harvard. And we have some sort of feel for how Harvard thinks.”
There’s danger in describing the presence of infected mosquitoes as a non-emergency, Johnson said. “You’ll give some the impression that this really isn’t an emergency, and they’ll sit back and get bitten. You definitely don’t want to encourage that,” he said.
“And you don’t want it the other way either,” added Spero.
“We’re trying to find that happy medium,” said Johnson, “where everyone becomes informed and does the right thing, whatever that may be.”
James Breslauer, a member of the Conservation Commission (ConsCom), urged the selectmen to keep the issue “in perspective.” Breslauer noted that according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, only one case of EEE has been reported in Massachusetts in 2010, and that case was well south of Harvard, in Plymouth. Citing Centers for Disease Control (CDC) statistics, Breslauer said that the number of cases nationwide averages only six per year. “It’s a tempest in a teapot,” he said.
Wendy Sisson, a second ConsCom member, also urged caution and questioned the effectiveness of chemical-based control programs. She said, “If you really want to protect people, people have to protect themselves. There’s a lot of education that can be done on that score.”
