First Case of West Nile Detected in Massachusetts

The first person diagnosed with West Nile virus this year is a Middlesex County man in his 60s.
Last Friday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported the man developed an uncommon form of the illness affecting his nervous system and he is recovering at a hospital.
West Nile is a virus transmitted by a mosquito bite. Most people who are infected with West Nile have no symptoms. However, a few develop a fever or other symptoms that include headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash.
In about 1 in 150 infected people, the virus invades the nervous system, which is what happened to the Middlesex man, causing his brain and the lining of his brain to become inflamed. The man first experienced symptoms August 11th and was admitted to the hospital soon after.
The Department of Public Health is investigating where the man could have been exposed to infected mosquitoes. Massachusetts has reached peak mosquito season, this is the time of year that we really need to pay attention to mosquitoes and the threat that they can pose to us. In 2013, eight Massachusetts residents were diagnosed with West Nile virus.
The low temperatures of the summer have resulted in fewer mosquitoes this year. The West Nile risk is low in Massachusetts, but the risk is moderate in the Greater Boston area.
To find out your community’s risk level, the risk levels for West Nile virus for every community in the state can be found at www.westnile.ashtonweb.com/index.asp.