West Nile Confirmed In Barnstable Mosquito Sample

No humans have tested positive in Barnstable this year, but there are two confirmed cases across Massachusetts in 2023.

Aug 31, 2023 1:23 pm EDT | Updated Aug 31, 2023 1:26 pm EDT

BARNSTABLE, MA — West Nile virus has made its way to Cape Cod, according to state health officials.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Thursday that West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in a mosquito sample collected from Barnstable.

Subscribe

This comes after two human cases of West Nile virus were confirmed this week, marking the first human cases this summer.

Read more: Two Human West Nile Cases In MA Confirmed, First In 2023

A man in his 40s likely contracted West Nile in Middlesex County, state officials said, and a woman in her 70s is the out-of-state case. Eight human cases were confirmed in 2022.

Health officials said no birds or humans have tested positive for the virus in Barnstable so far this year.

WNV was initially found in mosquitoes in Massachusetts in 2000 and primarily affects birds.

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.