On September 3, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced the second human case of West Nile virus (WNV) in the Commonwealth. The same day, state officials raised the WNV risk level for the city of Cambridge from moderate to high. So far, however, the risk for a second, potentially fatal, mosquito-borne illness, eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), remains remote (very low) in Cambridge.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services updates risk levels daily. While Cambridge residents are at high risk for WNV and at remote risk for EEE, be aware that the risk level may change or be higher where you live or work.
MIT Health recommends taking steps to try to avoid mosquito bites. In addition to using mosquito repellant, MIT Health recommends wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks if you are going to be outdoors in the early mornings or evenings, when mosquitos are most active.
These precautions are especially important for student-athletes and others who are outside for evening games, practices, or events, notes MIT Health’s Deputy Chief Health Officer Shawn Ferullo. “We’ve asked coaches to remind players about the importance of using mosquito repellant and to make repellent available at practices and games,” he says.
Clinicians at MIT Health are alert to possible cases of mosquito-borne illnesses, Ferullo continues. Both WNV and EEE may begin with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, and muscle aches. WNV often includes a skin rash, and serious cases of EEE may include the sudden onset of severe neurological symptoms. While WNV can cause severe illness in individuals older than 60, younger people generally recover with no complications.
The risk period will most likely continue until the first hard frost, Ferullo says, and that probably won’t occur until early November or later.
More information on mosquito-borne illnesses is available from the Cambridge Public Health Department and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.