Massachusetts health officials report second case of potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus
BOSTON — Health officials in Massachusetts on Thursday reported a second confirmed case of the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis virus in the state.
The virus was also detected in a second horse.
The human case involves a woman in her 30s. Both were exposed in the area of Plymouth County that was sprayed from the air Tuesday night. Both became infected before the spraying occurred.
The discovery of the latest case comes after a New Hampshire resident infected with the virus diedstate health authorities reported Tuesday.
The Hampstead resident’s infection was the first in the state in a decade, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said. The resident, identified by the department only as an adult, had been hospitalized for severe central nervous system symptoms
Eastern equine encephalitis is a rare but serious and potentially fatal disease that can affect people of all ages and is usually transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. The first Massachusetts resident to be infected with the EEE virus this year was a man in his 80s who was exposed in southern Worcester County.
Massachusetts Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said people should take steps to prevent mosquito bites.
“We expect that aerial spraying will help prevent the risk of EEE in the area from increasing further, but it will not eliminate it completely,” he said.
About a third of people who get encephalitis from the virus die from the infection. Survivors can suffer from lifelong mental and physical disabilities.
There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment available against infections, which can cause flu-like symptoms and lead to serious neurological disorders, as well as inflammation of the brain and the membranes around the spinal cord.
So far this year, 76 EEE-positive mosquito samples have been recovered in Massachusetts.
Officials in some Massachusetts cities have urged people to avoid going out at night this summer due to concerns about the virus.
An outbreak in 2019 left six dead among 12 confirmed cases in Massachusetts, and the outbreak continued the following year with five more cases and one more death. Two of the three people infected in New Hampshire in 2014 died.