4th West Nile Virus Case Found In MA; Risk Level Raised

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MA – A fourth human case of West Nile Virus has been found in Massachusetts this year, Department of Public Health officials said Monday. The patient is a woman in her 50s from Middlesex County who was never hospitalized, according to the DPH. Three other cases were reported Friday.

At least two of the four cases were found in the greater Boston area, leading health officials to raise the risk level from moderate to hight for the following 11 communities:

• Arlington
• Boston
• Belmont
• Brookline
• Cambridge
• Chelsea
• Everett
• Medford
• Newton
• Somerville
• Watertown

"Several individuals from the same area have developed West Nile virus," Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH said in a statement. "That means that there is an increased risk in this specific area and that additional people could become infected. We are particularly concerned about people over 50 and those who are immunocompromised as they are the ones most likely to develop WNV disease."

For the 11 communities at high-risk, DPH recommends that local health officials intensify messaging to raise awareness and promote personal protective behaviors, target outreach to high-risk populations and increase surveillance for human disease.

People at high risk for severe illness are encouraged to consider avoiding outdoor activity at dusk and dawn. Local boards of health should continue to work directly with their Mosquito Control District to determine appropriate control measures.

"It is extremely important for people to take steps to avoid mosquito bites, including using repellents, wearing clothing to reduce exposed skin, dumping standing water, and moving indoors when you notice mosquitoes biting you," DPH State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown said in a statement.

In 2017, there were six human cases of WNV identified in Massachusetts.

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