Wareham Mosquito Sample Tests Positive for West Nile Virus
Wareham officials have announced that a mosquito sample taken in the town has tested positive for West Nile Virus.
An alert was sent out this morning to town residents through Wareham’s email and text messaging system alerting them of the positive test.
“The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced today that West Nile virus has been detected in mosquitoes collected from the Town of Wareham,” stated the message, attributed to Wareham Director of Public Health Patrick MacDonald.
“While the Wareham Health Department continues to work closely with the MDPH and other agencies, we are asking that everyone take the proper precautions to protect themselves from mosquito bites,” MacDonald said. “Information about West Nile virus and common sense precautions can be found on the MDPH website as well as reports of current and historical WNV virus activity in Massachusetts.”
On Friday, the Mass DPH announced the second human case of West Nile Virus found in the state so far this year, a male in his 70s exposed to the virus “in Suffolk County in an area already known to be at moderate risk,” the DPH stated.
Back on August 25, the first human case of the year was discovered, with the individual affected “a female in her 70s who was exposed to the virus in Suffolk County,” according to the DPH.