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First case of West Nile Virus this season detected in mosquito

The risk for contracting WNV remains low throughout the state, according to officials.

In this Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010, photo, a Cattail mosquito is held up for inspection at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Scarborough, Maine. Cattail mosquitos can transmit Eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus to humans. Pat Wellenbach / AP, File

By Arianna MacNeill

1 minute to read

The first case of West Nile Virus of the season in Massachusetts has been found in a mosquito, according to state officials.

There haven’t been any human cases of the illness, or of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), yet this season, the state indicated. The risk for WNV remains low throughout the state; for EEE, it’s either low or remote for each community.

The first case of WNV was found in a mosquito collected in Medford on June 29, according to the state.

There were just eight human cases of WNV in Massachusetts in 2020. However, in 2018, there were 49 human cases, the highest the state has ever recorded in a year, according to Boston 25 News. Between 2011 and 2020, 148 people reported having WNV, and seven of them died.

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WNV is transmitted through mosquito bites. Most people infected, about 80 percent, will show no symptoms. Around 20 percent will have symptoms like fever, body aches, vomiting, and swollen lymph glands. Less than 1 percent will get really sick and contract meningitis or encephalitis, according to the state. People who are over 50 years old are at higher risk.

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