BOSTON (WHDH) - Health officials on Thursday confirmed this year’s fifth human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Massachusetts.
The state Department of Public Health said a man in his 70s from southwestern Middlesex County has been infected with the potentially fatal virus.
As a result, the risk level for EEE has been raised to critical in Ashland, Hopedale, and Milford. The risk level in Bellingham, Blackstone, and Millville has been raised to high.
In total, there are 32 communities now at critical risk, 39 at high risk, and 121 at moderate risk for the EEE virus in Massachusetts.
There have also been nine confirmed cases of EEE in animals this year, including eight horses and one goat.
All Bay Staters are urged to use mosquito repellent. Those in high and critical risk communities should consider staying indoors from dusk to dawn to reduce exposure to mosquitoes.
A map of the state’s current EEE risk levels can be found here.
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