A third person in Massachusetts has contracted the rare and potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus eastern equine encephalitis this summer, health officials said Thursday.
The newly confirmed case is a man in his 70s who was exposed in central Middlesex County, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. They also said a seventh person has contracted West Nile virus this summer, another mosquito-borne virus.
EEE can cause flu-like symptoms as well as severe neurological disease, like inflammation in the brain (encephalitis) or around the spinal cord (meningitis) that can lead to life-long disability or death. A man in New Hampshire man died after contracting the virus last month.
No EEE-related deaths have been announced in Massachusetts this year. The previous cases were a woman in her 30s exposed in Plymouth County and a man in his 80s who was exposed in Worcester County, officials have said.
After the newest case of EEE, the risk level for Acton, Ayer, Boxborough, Carlisle, Harvard and Littleton rose to high, officials said. The state has been spraying insecticide over places at high risk for EEE transmission.
"Today's announcement of additional West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis cases makes it clear that mosquito season is not over," Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein said in a statement Thursday. "It is essential that residents continue to use mosquito repellent with an EPA-registered active ingredient every time they are outdoors. We also strongly recommend that residents and towns in areas at high risk for EEE reschedule their evening outdoor events to avoid peak mosquito biting hours."
The last EEE outbreak in Massachusetts left seven people dead among 17 infected between 2019 and 2020, according to health officials.
