DOUGLAS, MASS. (WHDH) - The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that the risk level for Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been raised to critical in Douglas after a horse tested positive for the potentially fatal virus.
As a result of the positive test, the risk level in Oxford and Webster was raised to high.
There are now eight confirmed cases of horses with EEE in Massachusetts this year.
In total, 29 communities are now at critical risk, 39 at high risk, and 123 at moderate risk for the EEE.
There have been four confirmed human cases of EEE, including a 59-year-old woman who died last month.
“Cases of EEE in mammals, including horses, serve as a reminder that there is a continuing risk to humans,” said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said in a press release. “Even as we head into September, it remains critically important that people take steps to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites.”
To view EEE risk levels across the Bay State, click here.
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