State officials are for the first time ever recommending at-risk communities consider spraying an insecticide to battle Eastern Equine encephalitis.

A half-dozen EEE-infected mosquito pools — four in Newton and two in Danville — were discovered this week, sparking a meeting yesterday of health officials throughout Rockingham County.

“What we’re seeing is a rapid concentration of EEE in the central and southern Rockingham County area, and that is a concern to us,” said John Stephen, commissioner of Health and Human Services.

“We believe, with these cases, there’s a risk high enough to these towns that they consider spraying.”

The state has also found the virus in mosquito pools in Manchester, Fremont and Hampstead, as well as in birds found in South Hampton and Hampstead.

EEE is spread to humans when an infected bird is bitten by a mosquito, which then bites a person.

Fred Rusczek, Manchester’s public health director, said the city sprayed for EEE last Friday night and that the local mosquito count is down.

He said the population is closely watched, and if numbers start to climb again the city will consider a second spraying.

The state yesterday recommended Newton, Plaistow, Kingston, East Kingston, Danville, Brentwood, Fremont, Sandown, South Hampton, Atkinson and Hampstead consider spraying synthetic pyrethroid, which kills adult mosquitoes.

There have been no human cases of EEE in New Hampshire this year. Last year seven people were infected, and two people died from the disease.

“We don’t want people to panic,” said Stephen. “We want people to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather, but continue to be vigilant.

“It’s our goal that, with our continuing efforts, we will not see any human cases this year.”

Last month, HHS declared a EEE threat in Rockingham County, making available expedited mosquito control permits and state reimbursement of up to 25 percent of mosquito-control activity costs.

Dr. Jason Stull, the state public health veterinarian, said he, Stephen and other state health officials met with a contingent of more than 40 people at Rockingham County Nursing Home yesterday morning.

The meeting was called to offer expertise, suggest a unified response and outline prevention strategies to the area of the state hit hardest by EEE.

Stull said it’s not known why Rockingham County is home to more EEE-infected mosquitoes than other parts of the state.

“The ecology of this area seems to be one that really allows this virus to thrive in the bird population,” he said.

Because EEE is rare in humans, it remains largely a mystery to scientists, said Stull. “It feels like I’m having a daily conversation with the CDC,” he said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

Some studies indicate that people under 15 and those over 50 are at higher risk of falling seriously ill. The two fatal cases in New Hampshire last year involved a 20-year-old Newton woman and an 80-year-old Hooksett man.

Stull said the state laboratory has been actively testing for the virus. “We reach out to physicians throughout state and in the area of concern (for blood samples),” he said.

The majority of people bitten by an infected mosquito will never know it, said Stull. Some people may suffer mild flu-like symptoms, he said, and a small number of people develop serious symptoms.

The danger of EEE, said Stull, is that one-third of people who develop the more serious symptoms ultimately die from the infection.

Stull said spraying an insecticide is only dangerous to the general population if the product is improperly used. “In general it is very safe,” he said.

People are advised not to come into direct contact with insecticide, and Stull recommends people with respiratory problems stay inside with windows closed if trucks are used to spray throughout a town.

Massachusetts has been dealing with EEE for many years, said Stephen, and New Hampshire residents can now expect to do battle each fall.

“If we can learn anything from Massachusetts over the last 70 years,” said Stull, “it’s that it tends to cycle for several years ... so certainly we’ve got to be prepared for it here in New Hampshire.”

The state athletic association recently posted an informational warning about EEE on its Web site.

Executive Director R. Patrick Corbin said yesterday the association wants to let high school athletic directors know they have the option to reschedule games and avoid playing into the night when more mosquitoes may be out.

Sanborn High School and Timberlane of Plaistow, said Corbin, have moved soccer and field hockey start times closer to when school lets out.

“Our effort was just to remind everyone that it is an issue, and some schools have taken steps to avoid it,” he said.

A decade ago, playing games into the evening wouldn’t have been an option at nearly every high school in the state. But Corbin said more and more schools are playing under the lights.

“Before the advent of so many of these lit, turf fields ... many of the games, field hockey, soccer, a lot of these sports were played in the afternoon. Now ... they play into the evening almost every night.”

Bishop Guertin Athletic Director Andrew Krahling uses Stellos Stadium in Nashua for Friday night football.

For other sports, Krahling said he’d consider altering schedules if the threat appeared more imminent.

“It’s crossed our mind,” he said, “but as far as I know there hasn’t been affected mosquitoes right around our area.”

The state’s hotline for EEE/West Nile virus issues is 866-273-6453. For more information on EEE, including how to eliminate mosquito-breeding areas and how to avoid mosquito bites, go to www.dhhs.nh.gov.

►Mass. boy, 9, dies of EEE
►After Fremont scare, Raymond gets mosquito update