The Bay State has reported the first human cases of West Nile virus of the year, as health officials urge residents to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced the first two human cases of West Nile virus in state residents this year.
A man in his 40s was exposed to the virus in Middlesex County, which is an area already known to be at moderate risk for West Nile virus. The other case is a woman in her 70s who was exposed to the virus in another part of the country.
The risk of human infection is moderate in the Greater Boston area — Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk counties — and in parts of Bristol, Plymouth, Worcester, Berkshire, Hampden, and Hampshire counties.
Advertisement
“This is the first time that West Nile virus infection has been identified in Massachusetts residents this year,” said Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein. “August and September are the months when most people are exposed to West Nile virus in Massachusetts.
“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,” Goldstein added.
Last year, there were eight human cases of WNV infection identified in Massachusetts. WNV is usually transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito.
While WNV can infect people of all ages, people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe disease. Most people infected with WNV will have no symptoms. When present, WNV symptoms tend to include fever and flu-like illness. In rare cases, more severe illness can occur.
“We are coming to the unofficial end of summer but mosquitoes with West Nile virus will persist for several more months,” said State Epidemiologist Catherine M. Brown.
Advertisement
“To avoid mosquito bites, use a repellent with an EPA-registered ingredient, wear clothing to reduce exposed skin, drain standing water and repair window screens,” Brown added. “We also encourage everyone to regularly visit DPH’s mosquito-borne diseases web pages to stay informed on when and where WNV activity is occurring.”
Updated information on all WNV and EEE positive results can be found on the Arbovirus Surveillance Information website at www.mass.gov/mosquito-borne-diseases.
The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller’s, not those of WBZ-TV, CBS News or Paramount Global.
BOSTON – Massachusetts has long been known as a Democratic state, but the 2024 election showed a Republican shift.
Presidential election
Vice President Kamala Harris won the state’s 11 electoral votes Tuesday, but former president Donald Trump improved his vote total from 2020. Trump won in 75 cities and towns in Massachusetts. Eleven of those communities voted for Democrat Joe Biden four years ago.
So what’s behind the shift?
Saugus, one of those towns that flipped for Trump, is a great example of a longstanding reality here in Massachusetts. We may be a reliably Democratic state in federal elections, but independents are the dominant voters, and plenty of them, as well as a significant number of Democrats, are to the right of our liberal elected officials.
Advertisement
“In this two-year cycle we will have gained two state senate seats. We did that in a presidential election year which is often very difficult for the Republican Party,” MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale told WBZ-TV.
Massachusetts Trump voters
It’s no accident that voters in Massachusetts have elected Republican governors in seven of the last ten elections. Voters of all kinds have been feeling the pinch of inflation lately. And this year, controversial subjects like the influx of migrants into Saugus public schools, surely drove some local voters to vote for Trump, who made immigration his signature issue.
One thing’s for sure – voters here and elsewhere are fed up with extraneous so-called “wokeness,” policies that may be well-intentioned but often strike people as gratuitous political correctness. Real or imagined and exaggerated, that sort of thing is catnip to politicians like Trump who brand themselves as the antidote to wokeness.
Advertisement
Jon Keller
Jon Keller is Political Analyst for WBZ-TV News, and his “Keller @ Large” reports on a wide range of topics are regularly featured during WBZ-TV News at 5 and 6 p.m. Keller’s commentaries are also seen weekday mornings at 5:30 a.m. on WBZ This Morning.
Here’s a look at how the federal holiday might impact your plans, from altered store hours and train schedules to heavier traffic and shifts in local services on Monday.
Holiday observed: Monday.
Retail stores: Open at owners’ discretion after 1 p.m., unless retailer obtains permit to open earlier.
Advertisement
Liquor stores: Closed until 1 p.m. Monday.
Supermarkets: Open at owner’s discretion.
Convenience stores: Open at owners’ discretion.
Taverns, bars: Open at owners’ discretion.
Banks: Closed.
Advertisement
Municipal buildings: Closed.
Libraries: Closed.
Schools: Closed.
Mail: Post offices closed. UPS and FedEx will operate as usual.
MBTA: All modes of public transit will operate on a regular schedule.
Advertisement
Boston traffic rules: Parking meters are free with no time limit. All other parking rules apply.
Trash/recycling collection: Collections will be delayed in some neighborhoods.
Kiera McDonald can be reached at kiera.mcdonald@globe.com.