An Acton man died of eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, about a month ago, according to his family and the town. His death is the first publicly linked to the mosquito-borne illness in Massachusetts this year — the state is withholding EEE mortality information until the end of the season, under a policy designed to protect patient confidentiality.
Basil Chigas, 76, was the third of four people confirmed to have EEE in Massachusetts this year, according to his family, which is calling for answers about his death. He was otherwise healthy, but died within a week, his wife and son said in an exclusive interview with NBC10 Boston Wednesday, voicing concerns about a lack of communication from state and local government both before and after his death.
“The loss of someone in that amount of time is just– it’s a staggering experience,” son Nick Chigas said. “My mom still hasn’t gotten a call from the town or the state about where he was — looking at this as an opportunity to get more information about what happened so they could do something.”…