Important Takeaways:

• Both cases are men in their 70s. One man was exposed to EEE in central Middlesex County, bringing the total number of EEE cases in Massachusetts this year to three. The other man was exposed to WNV in southern Middlesex County in an area already at high risk for the disease. This is the seventh case of WNV in Massachusetts this year.
• There have been 88 EEE-positive mosquito samples in Massachusetts this year.
• There have been 299 WNV-positive mosquito samples so far this year
• EEE and WNV are transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. The last outbreak of EEE occurred in 2019-2020 and resulted in 17 human cases with seven deaths. There were six human cases of WNV and no animal cases in 2023. No animal cases of WNV have been detected so far this year.
• “Mosquito behavior starts to change in September,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown. “They will be less active during cooler temperatures. However, during periods of warmer weather, such as are being forecast for the end of next week, mosquitoes will be out and looking for their next meal.”

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