BOSTON (WHDH) - Health officials have confirmed a second case of West Nile virus in Boston after raising the risk level for the disease from moderate to high.
The second case was confirmed in a man in his 50s, bringing the total number of reported cases in Massachusetts this year to five. In the past two years, there was just one reported human case in Boston, according to an announcement from the Boston Public Health Commission.
Officials say that within the last week, the total number of mosquito pools that tested positive for West Nile in Suffolk County have nearly doubled to 15, and they’ve received reports of a second type of mosquito that is primarily active during the daytime hours.
WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, and poses greater health risks to people over 60 and those with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and people who have received organ transplants.
The department is urging city residents to take the following steps to protect themselves, their loved ones and pets, from mosquito bites:
• Use (and re-apply as needed) EPA-approved insect repellents when outdoors
• Wear clothing to reduce skin exposure
• Install or repair window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside
Residents are also advised to take measures to reduce the number of mosquitos in their yard by dumping all standing water weekly to prevent them from breeding, as well as treating larger pools of water with larvicide. Residents may contact the Suffolk County Mosquito Control at (781) 899-5730 to request larvicidal treatment of swimming pools and other large containers of water that cannot be emptied.
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