Two inhabitants of Massachusetts have contracted the West Nile virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, in the state’s first human cases of the year.
On Tuesday, August 29, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) revealed that a woman in her 70s was infected with the virus in another region of the country, In Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a 40-year-old male was exposed.
Suffolk County, and sections of Bristol County, Middlesex County, Norfolk County, Plymouth County, Hampden County, Hampshire County, Worcester County, along with Berkshire County were all identified by authorities as being at a moderate risk for the virus.
First Case of West Nile Virus In Massachusetts
On August 25, 2022, the initial instance of eight human cases of West Nile virus infection was reported in Massachusetts. On September 1st, 2021, we saw the first confirmed case.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that since West Nile virus was initially introduced to the United States in 1999, it has become the largest cause of mosquito-borne disease in the country.
Based on the CDC’s website, Culex mosquitoes transmit the West Nile virus — a flavivirus in the identical family as yellow fever, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, as well as the Zika virus — by biting infected birds and then biting humans and other animals.
The virus cannot be spread through direct contact, including consuming or touching infected animals or birds, or through respiratory secretions like coughing or sneezing.
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Signs and Symptoms
Fever, chills, headache, joint discomfort, diarrhea, rash, and/or vomiting are the hallmarks of the febrile disease that affects about 20% of the population.
Most people recover from these symptoms on their own time, although some may continue to feel weak and fatigued months after infection.
About 1 in 150 people infected with the virus will develop significant neurological symptoms like encephalitis (brain inflammation) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord), based on the data from CDC.
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