I have an important announcement in regards to the recent breakout of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in Southwest Michigan. Although there have been no reported cases in our county or our neighboring counties, our school district wants to provide you with some basic information about this health and safety issue.
If you haven’t already seen the EEE memo sent out by the Lenawee County Health Department, please take the time go to our school website or Facebook account to read it. The memo states that Lenawee County residents are being encouraged to be particularly cautious during outdoor activities occurring at or after dusk. For this reason we will be offering mosquito repellant with DEET to our student-athletes that practice outside after school. If you have a football, cross country or cheerleading participant, please advise them as you see fit as to whether or not you want them to choose to use the school provided repellents.
EEE is one of the most dangerous mosquito-borne diseases in the United States, with a 33% fatality rate in people who are bitten and become ill. Persons younger than 15 and older than 50 are at greater risk if bitten. I encourage you to read the entire Health Department memo and to have meaningful and decisive conversations with your spouses and your children. Although the current risk is small, we wanted to make you aware of this situation. We will continue to monitor the seriousness of this potentially fatal disease.