MA Confirms New West Nile Virus Case, EEE Still Absent

MASSACHUSETTS — State health officials confirmed the fifth West Nile virus case in a human this week, although virus totals from the 2022 mosquito season are down so far compared to 2021.

The latest person to contract the potentially fatal West Nile virus is a woman in her 80s from Middlesex County, the Department of Public Health said. Almost all the state's 2022 West Nile cases have been counted over the past month, with the first confirmed on Aug. 25. In 2021, the state counted 11 West Nile cases.

Parts of eastern Middlesex County from Natick to Newton and north to Woburn are at "moderate" West Nile risk right now, according to the state. Boston, Brookline and Cambridge are the only parts of the state at "high" risk. Parts of central Plymouth County and Nantucket are also at "moderate" risk.

According to health officials, about 80 percent of people who contract West Nile show no symptoms. About 20 percent develop a fever, body aches and gastrointestinal distress. And about 1 percent develop either encephalitis or meningitis, which can lead to coma and paralysis in rare cases.

The most threatening mosquito-borne disease in the area, Eastern equine encephalitis, has so far been completely absent in 2022. The state hasn't detected a case in either a human or an animal.

Still, the risk of contracting a mosquito-borne illness will continue until the first hard frost of the year. Health officials urge residents to wear repellents that contain DEET or permethrin, and to avoid outdoor activity during peak mosquito hours at dawn and dusk.