No one has tested positive in Barnstable this year, but in 2023 there will be two confirmed cases across Massachusetts.
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BARNSTABLE, Mass. — West Nile virus has reached Cape Cod, according to state health officials.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Thursday that West Nile virus (WNV) was detected in mosquito samples taken from Barnstable.
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This comes after two human cases of West Nile virus were confirmed this week, the first human cases of the summer.
read more: Two West Nile River cases confirmed in Massachusetts, first in 2023
A man in his 40s likely contracted the West Nile River in Middlesex County, while a woman in her 70s was an out-of-state case, state officials said. In 2022, eight human cases were confirmed.
Health officials said no birds or people have tested positive for the virus in Barnstable so far this year.
WNV was first discovered in mosquitoes in Massachusetts in 2000 and primarily affects birds.
WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes that carry this virus are common in the state, not only in urban areas but also in rural areas.
WNV can infect people of all ages, but people over the age of 50 are at higher risk of serious infections.