Massachusetts announces first 2 human cases of West Nile Virus in 2023

BOSTON (WLNE) — The Massachusetts Department of Health announced Tuesday that the first two human cases of West Nile Virus this year were reported in the state.

According to the department, one patient is a woman in her 70s who was exposed to the virus in another part of the U.S. The second patient is a man in his 40s who was exposed in Middlesex County, an area previously identified as being at moderate risk.

Officials said the risk of infection with West Nile Virus is also moderate in the Greater Boston area, including Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk county, and parts of Berkshire, Bristol, Hampden, Hampshire, Plymouth and Worcester Counties.

No additional risk level changes were indicated by the department of health.

“This is the first time that West Nile virus infection has been identified in Massachusetts residents this year,” said Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein, MD, PhD.

“August and September are the months when most people are exposed to West Nile virus in Massachusetts. Populations of mosquitoes that can carry and spread this virus are fairly large this year and we have seen recent increases in the number of WNV-positive mosquito samples from multiple parts of the Commonwealth,” Goldstein continued.

In 2022, the Massachusetts Department of Health said there were eight confirmed human cases of West Nile Virus in the state.