HAMPDEN, MASS. (WHDH) - A Hampden County woman in her 60s is the state’s second human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis this season, health officials announced Saturday.
As a result, health officials are raising the risk level for EEE to critical in Wilbraham. All three municipalities in Hampden County, including Hampden and Monson, now have a high-risk level for EEE, according to officials.
State health officials have found EEE in 65 mosquito samples to date, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said. More than 70 percent of them were in species of mosquitoes capable of spreading the virus to humans.
Risk levels in Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Ludlow, Palmer, and Springfield have also been raised to moderate risk, officials said.
Residents are asked to use mosquito repellent anytime they are outside. Anyone living in high-risk areas should refrain from outdoor activities during dusk and dawn hours to reduce chance of exposure, officials said.
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