Medford Man Contracts West Nile Virus

– Allison Goldsberry

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced today that a 49-year-old Medford man has become the fourth Massachusetts resident to be diagnosed with West Nile Virus.

The man became ill at the end of September and is currently in the hospital.

In August the Public Health Department announced that a batch of Medford mosquitoes tested positive for the disease.  With lingering warm weather, residents still remain at risk and the department urges people to take precautions such as limiting outdoor activities during peak mosquito hours of dawn and dusk, wearing longsleeves, pants, and socks, and using repellant.

According to the Public Health Department, West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, another mosquito-borne illness, can affect people of all ages but people over 50 are especially vulnerable to severe disease from WNV.

Both WNV and EEE are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes that contract the disease after biting an infected bird.

The last cases of WNV in Medford were in 2002 and 2003 when four people contracted the disease.  None of the cases were fatal though there was one fatal case in Malden.

See the Department of Public Health’s website for more tips on how to prevent mosquito bites and how to mosquito-proof your home.