Despite cooler weather, West Nile virus infections continue to crop up at a record-breaking pace, as state health officials today announced two more human cases of the mosquito-borne illness.
A man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s, both of whom live in the Greater Boston area, are the 21st and 22nd cases in the state this year, according to a statement from the Department of Public Health. The woman has already recovered from her illness, while the man is still recovering.
“Mosquitoes continue to be present in our environment even as temperatures have dropped,” said DPH epidemiologist Dr. Al DeMaria. “People need to continue to take common-sense precautions until the first hard overnight frost.”
The number of cases in the state this year, including one fatality, have far surpassed last year’s total of six confirmed human cases.
West Nile virus-infected mosquitoes have been found in 109 communities in nine of Massachusetts’ 14 counties, the DPH said. The number of West Nile virus-positive mosquito testing pools is expected to be the highest since the virus was first seen in the state in 2000.
Infections in either people, birds, or mosquitoes have been confirmed in every state in the continental United States.