West Nile Virus confirmed in mosquitoes from Westborough

Westborough – The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) announced today that West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in mosquitoes collected from Westborough, Massachusetts. In 2011, 4,604 mosquito samples were tested for WNV and 275 samples were positive. Westborough had no WNV positive mosquito samples identified in 2011.

WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. The mosquitoes that carry this virus are common throughout the state, and are found in urban as well as more rural areas. While WNV can infect people of all ages, people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe infection.

Information about WNV and reports of current and historical WNV virus activity in Massachusetts can be found on the MDPH website at http://www.mass.gov/dph/wnv.

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Posted by Community Advocate Staff on Aug 9 2012. Filed under Byline Stories, This Just In, Westborough. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry