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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is raising the risk level for Eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, across several southeastern Massachusetts communities.
Those communities include Carver, Easton, Freetown, Lakeville, Middleboro, New Bedford, and Raynham—covering parts of Bristol and Plymouth counties.
The DPH said EEE was found in 92 mosquito samples, and that a third of the mosquitoes found to have it were from species capable of spreading it to humans.
They emphasized that no human or animal EEE cases have been found so far in 2019.
"We take EEE very seriously and this year we are concerned about the risk," said DPH State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown. "It is important for residents to know that in communities at high risk for EEE, we strongly encourage rescheduling evening outdoor events to avoid the hours between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active."
Meanwhile, West Nile
The first West Nile Virus-positive mosquito sample of the year was found by Mass DPH in Boston on July 11—and now, the virus has been found in mosquitoes in Framingham.
It's the first time in 2019 that the virus has been found in Framingham.
"While WNV can infect people of all ages, people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe infection," the city said on its website.
For more information on how to protect yourself from West Nile Virus and other mosquito-borne illnesses, visit the City of Framingham's website.
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WBZ NewsRadio's Don Huff reports