Island Falls to vote on fluoride
Next Wednesday, Sept. 9, Island Falls voters will vote on the issue of continuing or stopping fluoridation in the town’s water supply. Voting will take place at the Municipal Building, 68 Houlton Road from 2-6 p.m.
At a town meeting, August 20, residents turned out to discuss the pros and cons of adding fluoride to the public water system. According to Rosemarie Tacey, deputy clerk, there are 565 registered voters eligible to vote on the issue. Tacey says information on the arguments for and against fluoridation and its role in preventing tooth decay are available at the town office.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health and Industry Division have reported that a third horse in Maine has died of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).
EEE is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. The disease was first detected in Maine mammals in 2005 among two horses in York County, and was also found that year in some mosquitoes and birds in York and Cumberland counties. Last October a man spending time in Cumberland County died of EEE. Earlier in August of this year, two horses in Waldo County were identified with EEE. Now a third horse that died recently in the Penobscot County town of Stetson has been identified with EEE. None of the horses had updated vaccinations for the disease.
“Although the risk from one mosquito bite is very low, it now appears the risk of contracting EEE is geographically widespread,” said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine CDC. “Since 2005, EEE has been detected in four counties in Maine. We can assume other areas of the state have infected mosquitoes as well. Until we experience several deep frosts, it is important people take precautions.” Among those precautions are using insect repellant, covering up when outdoors, placing mosquito netting over infant carriers when outdoors, Cleaning up unnecessary standing water around the yard, and vaccinating horses.
The Maine Department of Agriculture is bracing for a war against the invasive Asian longhorned beetle that has already destroyed more than 25,000 trees in Massachusetts.
With a $75,000 grant from the USDA, Maine DOA will focus on an information outreach and survey on how to recognize and report the insect. For information, contact Karen Coluzzi at 287-7551 or visit: www.albmaine.org.
