Photo: Mass. Department of Public Health
WORCESTER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has announced two additional human cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Mass.
Both cases occurred in men in their 60s who were likely exposed in Worcester County, raising the number of WNV cases to six in 2025. Just one animal has tested positive for WNV, but there have been 442 positive mosquito samples across the Commonwealth in 2025.
Officials have listed 43 municipalities as high risk for WNV in Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex, and Worcester Counties. Over 200 cities and towns across the state are at moderate risk levels.
“Because some risk will continue until the first hard frost, we are encouraging everyone to continue to take the necessary steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites by using mosquito repellent and wearing long sleeves and pants to reduce exposed skin when they are outdoors,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, M.D., PhD, in a statement.
It has been a much better mosquito season on the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) front, with only 23 positive mosquito samples and no human or animal cases. In 2024, there were four confirmed human cases and far more positive mosquito samples.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Jared Brosnan (@JaredBrosnanWBZ) reports.