State health officials confirmed two new human cases of West Nile Virus Tuesday. Both cases were found in residents of Greater Boston, one in a woman in her 60s who has since recovered, and the other in a man in his 70s who is recovering.
Threat levels for the disease will remain as they are, according to the press release the Department of Public Health sent out Tuesday afternoon.
Health officials continue to urge residents throughout the Greater Boston area and Massachusetts to use bug spray.
“It’s important to note that mosquitoes continue to be present in our environment even as temperatures have dropped, and people need to continue to take common-sense precautions until the first hard overnight frost,” state epidemiologist Al DeMaria said in the release.
That frost could come as early as this weekend, as forecasters predict temperatures lowering to 35 degrees Friday into Saturday.
Mosquitoes infected with West Nile Virus have been found in 109 communities and in nine counties this year, a number that state health officials say is on track to be the most seen in Massachusetts since 2000. Overall, 22 people were infected by the disease this year in Massachusetts, up from six human cases and one in a horse confirmed last year, according to state data.
For more information on either West Nile Virus or Eastern equine encephalitis, go online to www.mass.gov/dph/wnv, or call the DPH epidemiology program at 617-983-6800.
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