STATE RECLAMATION AND MOSQUITO CONTROL BOARD 

 Lewis F. Wells, Jr., Chairman 

 James L. Dallas, Member 

 Gilbert A. Bliss, Member 

 Elizabeth M. Costello, Secretary 

 Mark S. Buffone, Entomologist 



DUTIES AND NAMES CHANGE WITH THE TIMES 



Historically, the State Reclamation Board supplanted the State Drainage 

 Board. The general aim during the years of early reclamation was to utilize the 

 numerous and extensive tracts of swampland scattered throughout the Common- 

 wealth. The tracts of land were considered worthless at that time to land 

 owners and communities. 



This bug ridden land was a deteriment to local development and a constant 

 danger to the health of citizens. The wetland areas were converted to be uti- 

 lized for crop production, hay production, pasturage for stock, cranberry pro- 

 duction, and excavating valuable deposits such as iron ore, peat, and clay. 



During this same period, the Board was charged with an additional responsi- 

 bility-mosquito control! 



Until this year, our name has been the State Reclamation Board. Legisla- 

 tion was filed to further define the current day statutory mission of the Board. 

 Consequently, Chapter 214 of the Acts and Resolves of 1983 was approved. Today, 

 the Board is called the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board. 



THE THREAT OF EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS 



Due to a mild winter and some heavy spring flooding, the 1983 mosquito 

 season was characterized by large populations of mosquitoes in many areas of 

 the Commonwealth. The annoyance and discomfort caused by these bloodsucking 

 pests were not the only concern this year as regards horses and humans. Two 

 confirmed human cases of a rare but serious disease carried by mosquitoes turned 

 the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board's attention towards the disease 

 called Eastern Encephalitis (EE) in late summer of 1982. 



Sometimes the bite of a mosquito can be more than just a nuisance, it can 

 be a prologue to EE, a rare control disease in humans that affects the 

 central nervous system. A person with this disease can become ill with 

 headache, high fever, and drowsiness which can progress to stupor, coma, and 

 death. Also, the disease affects horse (equine) populations. 



The infectious agent responsible for causing the illness is a virus. Since 

 humans and horses do not further transmit the disease, they are referred to as 

 dead-end hosts. Simply, this means that the concentration of virus in the blood 

 of horses or humans is not adequate to allow a non-infected mosquito to transfer 

 the disease to another host. 



Eastern Encephalitis occurs principally along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, 

 as well as inland near certain types of fresh-water swamps. Historically, 

 Massachusetts has recognized outbreaks with human and horse involvement during 

 the late '30's, the mid '50's, the early '70's and recently in 1982 and 1983. 



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