A fourth case of the dangerous mosquito-borne illness was confirmed in Massachusetts on Monday, according to health officials.
A man in his 50s contracted Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced on Monday. The man lives in Middlesex County which is at high risk for EEE.
Nationally, cases of EEE were detected in at least five states in 2024: Vermont, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Hampshire and New Jersey. EEE is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito.
“This year’s EEE season has been particularly active and is generating a lot of concern in communities across Massachusetts,” Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD., said in a statement. “While EEE remains a rare disease, the risk level is elevated in multiple communities.”
“With the weather forecast showing warm, sunny weather for the rest of the week, we recommend that people take necessary precautions in areas of elevated risk,” Goldstein continued. “This includes recommending that residents and towns in areas at high risk for EEE reschedule their evening outdoor events to avoid peak mosquito biting hours from dusk to dawn.”
Massachusetts’ DPH said there have been 91 EEE-positive samples in this state this year. Health officials said the last outbreak in The Bay State occurred in 2019-2020. There were 17 human cases and seven people died. Apart from the four cases in humans in the state this year, EEE was found in two Massachusetts horses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated the U.S. normally has between three and 15 cases per year with the average being around seven cases. Last year, seven cases were detected.