Fourth human case in Mass. found in Middlesex County

Also last month, a 41-year-old New Hampshire man became the first fatal case of EEE in that state in a decade.

Parts of Middlesex, Worcester and Plymouth counties remain at high or critical risk for the infection, according to a statement from the Department of Health.

“This year’s EEE season has been particularly active and is causing significant concern in Massachusetts communities,” Dr. Robbie Goldstein, the state’s health commissioner, said in the statement. “While EEE remains a rare disease, the risk level is elevated in multiple communities.”

Residents are asked to move outdoor activities from sunset to sunrise to avoid peak mosquito hours. The weather forecast is for warm weather in the coming days.

According to officials, public health officials have found 91 EEE-positive mosquito samples in the state this year in Bristol, Essex and Middlesex counties, as well as in Plymouth and Worcester counties, where the most activity has been.

The last outbreak of EEE in Massachusetts lasted from 2019 to 2020 and resulted in 17 human cases and seven deaths, officials said.

For more information, including all positive EEE results, visit www.mass.gov/mosquito-borne-diseases, which is updated daily, or call the DPH Division of Epidemiology at 617-983-6800.

Kiera McDonald can be reached at [email protected].