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Massachusetts prepares for season of mosquito-borne illness with first detection of West Nile virus

A mosquito.
Malcolm Tattersall
/
Creative Commons / flickr.com/photos/malcolm_nq
A mosquito.

Massachusetts public health officials have announced the first positive sample of West Nile virus in mosquitos this season. It was collected in the Bristol County town of Easton.

The state monitors the prevalence of West Nile and the more severe Eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE. No human cases have been reported yet this year.

The state's chief epidemiologist, Dr. Catherine Brown, said 2019 was Massachusetts’ worst summer in decades for EEE, though last year there were no human cases.

This year, Brown said, cases have likely been delayed due to previous dry and cool weather. But current drought conditions could make the risk for both viruses worse, as birds and mosquitos concentrate their activities around the few spots of standing water.

“Of course, if the drought is too significant, it will end up reducing the mosquito population significantly and that can end up suppressing West Nile virus activity,” Brown said Wednesday during a meeting of the state’s Public Health Council. “So we're kind of going to have to wait and see.”

Brown said spraying against mosquito larvae can reduce the risk of West Nile, but doesn’t work as well for EEE, which is why the state focuses on advising people how to avoid mosquito bites.

Karen Brown is a radio and print journalist who focuses on health care, mental health, children’s issues, and other topics about the human condition. She has been a full-time radio reporter for NEPM since 1998.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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