BOSTON (WHDH) - The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Friday that laboratory testing confirmed the twelfth human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in the Bay State.
A woman in her 70s from Hampden County is infected with the virus, according to state health officials.
As a result, the communities of Agawam, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Southwick, Springfield, West Springfield, and Westfield have been elevated to high risk for EEE.
There are 35 communities now at critical risk, 53 at high risk, and 121 at moderate risk for the EEE virus in Massachusetts.
There have been three confirmed EEE deaths in Massachusetts this year. One death that was announced Wednesday was said to be improperly reported.
In addition to the 12 human cases of EEE this season in Massachusetts, there have also been eight confirmed cases of EEE this year in animals, including seven horses and a goat.
A map of the state’s current EEE risk levels can be found here.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)