West Nile Virus Found In Mass. For First Time This Year

West Nile virus has been detected in a mosquito in Massachusetts for the first time in 2020, health officials said Thursday.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said two mosquitoes collected on July 7 in Belmont tested positive for the virus.

No human or animal cases of the virus have been detected so far this year. Symptoms of West Nile virus generally include fever and flu-like illness, but more severe illness can occur in rare cases.

There were five human cases of the virus last year and 49 in 2018, the highest number of cases the state has ever had.

Eastern equine encephalitis, another disease transmitted to human from mosquitoes, was detected in mosquitoes for first time this year in Massachusetts last week.