Two Massachusetts residents have been infected with the West Nile virus (WNV) making them the first human cases in the state this year, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced Tuesday.
One of the two residents infected is a woman in her 70s who was exposed to the virus in another part of the country. The second is a man in his 40s who was exposed in Middlesex County, the department said in a statement.
The risk of human infection is moderate in the Greater Boston area as well as parts of Berkshire, Bristol, Hampden, Hampshire, Plymouth, and Worcester counties, state health officials said.
To avoid being infected, public health officials encourage residents to apply insect repellent, avoid peak mosquito hours and install mosquito screens to avoid mosquito bites which transmit the disease, the statement said.
“August and September are the months when most people are exposed to West Nile virus in Massachusetts,” Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein said in the statement. “Populations of mosquitoes that can carry and spread this virus are fairly large this year and we have seen recent increases in the number of WNV-positive mosquito samples from multiple parts of the Commonwealth.”
Last year there were eight human cases of WNV identified in the state. The disease is particularly dangerous to people over the age of 50 who are at higher risk for severe disease. WNV symptoms are similar to fever and flu-like illnesses, according to the DPH.
For more information residents can go to https://www.mass.gov/mosquito-borne-diseases for more information on WNV and other mosquito borne diseases.
Maria Elena Little Endara can be reached at mariaelena.littleendara@globe.com.