Massachusetts health officials announced on August 16 that a human case of the rare and potentially fatal viral infection Eastern equine encephalitis had been detected in Worcester County. A horse and mosquitoes in the region also tested positive for the virus, leading officials to raise the risk level in surrounding communities to high and issue a voluntary dusk-to-dawn curfew in several towns. The state issued similar guidance for EEE outbreaks in 2005, 2012, and 2019 without issue. This year, however, some residents and online commentators are protesting the voluntary curfew, claiming it is unnecessary government overreach and fearmongering. One post attempted to connect the latest EEE case to Bill Gates, falsely claiming that the billionaire uses genetically modified mosquitoes to spread disease.
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