2023-08-29 22:37:31
Two Massachusetts residents contracted West Nile virus in the first human cases in the state this year.
A woman in her 70s was exposed to the mosquito-borne virus in another area of the country, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said Tuesday. A man in his 40s was exposed in Middlesex County, which health officials had deemed moderate risk.
The DPH notes that the risk of human infection is considered moderate in Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk counties, as well as parts of Bristol County, Plymouth County, Worcester County, Hampden County, Hampshire County and Berkshire County.
The risk level of the much more deadly eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, which is also transmitted by mosquitoes, is considered remote to low statewide, according to data from the DPH. Of 12 human cases in Massachusetts in 2019, six people died.
By contrast, regarding 80% of people infected with West Nile virus do not experience symptoms, which can include fever, headaches, body aches, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes and rashes, depending on the state. . Less than 1% of infected people develop severe disease.
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