Mosquito-Borne Illness Threat: First Human WNV Case Confirmed 

Mosquito-Borne Illness Threat: First Human WNV Case Confirmed. Credit | Getty Images
Mosquito-Borne Illness Threat: First Human WNV Case Confirmed. Credit | Getty Images

United States: The latest reports, a human case of West Nile virus (WNV) was confirmed for the first time in Hampden County in 2024. 

More about the news 

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) sounded alarm and intimated about the first ever confirmed human case of WNV in 2024, along with the first animal case of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in the state. 

The infected person is in his 40s and from Hampden County, while a horse that tested positive for EEE is from Plymouth. 

Elevation of risk of EEE 

The detection of EEE in mosquitoes and animals has raised the risk in Plymouth and Dedham. DPH also said that the risk is high in Carver and Middleborough, whereas twelve other communities, including Amesbury and Halifax, are at moderate risk. 

Mosquito-Borne Illness Threat: First Human WNV Case Confirmed. Credit | Getty Images
Mosquito-Borne Illness Threat: First Human WNV Case Confirmed. Credit | Getty Images

The first time WNV detection in mosquitoes in 2024 was taken place in Quincy on July 2. later, It was followed by the season’s first EEE-positive mosquitoes found in Carver on July 3. 

According to Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, “Historically, August and September are when most people are exposed to West Nile virus in Massachusetts. This is also the first year with elevated EEE activity since our last outbreak in 2019 and 2020,” as wwlp.com reported. 

More about the diseases 

According to experts’ reports, WNV is primarily spread through mosquito bites. There were six cases in total in humans; however, no case in animals was noted for the year 2023. 

As per the experts, EEE is considered more severe and rare in nature. It has not been shown in humans so far in Massachusetts from 2021 to 2023, following significant outbreaks in 2019 and 2020. 

The DPH has been requesting the public to prevent mosquito bites, especially in the affected areas, by using EPA-registered insect repellents, wearing long sleeves and full-length clothes, and avoiding visiting outside during peak hours from dusk to dawn, reports wwlp.com. 

Furthermore, the DPH also urged residents to make their homes mosquito-proof by having proper drainage, as the standing water acts as a breeding ground for the mosquitoes. Also, screens should be properly put on windows and doors.