Schools Reschedule Sports To Avoid Mosquitoes

Tiveton High School is rescheduling all outdoor sports activities after the state Department of Health (HEALTH) recommended against holding them at dawn or dusk - when mosquito activity is highest.

All games, practices and other activities at Tiverton schools will be rescheduled so that they are completed before sundown, a strategy called "smart scheduling" by HEALTH.

"The superintendent spoke with the principal of each school and the athletic director and decided to reschedule sports as a precautionary measure," said Elaine Pavao, secretary to the superintendent.

The updated daily athletic schedules can be found on the Tiverton High School website by clicking here.

If you do find yourself outdoors during high-volume mosquito times of the day, take certain precautions to protect yourself against mosquito-born illnesses like Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus. HEALTH urges participants to wear insect repellent (with no more than 30 percent DEET), long pants and long-sleeved shirts.

This "smart scheduling" is recommended to be in effect until the first frost of the year, typically in mid October.

So far this year, five pools of mosquitoes have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), including two in Tiverton's north end, while another four have tested positive for West Nile Virus across the state. Earlier this month,mosquitoes from a test pool near Wickford tested positive for Highlands J virus. Though the virus does not affect humans, it is an indicator environmental conditions are appropriate for the transmission of other mosquito-borne viruses.