Mosquito Borne Diseases

mosquito faceWest Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE or 'Triple E") are viruses that can cause minor to serious illness like encephalitis or meningitis from an extremely small number of mosquitoes. People may be exposed to other diseases spread by mosquitoes when traveling in the world like Zika virus and Dengue fever.


Prevention steps to reduce mosquito exposure


Some simple steps to take to protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites, and the illnesses they can cause are:

  • Use insect repellents when you are outdoors and buy pretreated clothing
  • Wear long-sleeved clothing, pants, and socks
  • Avoid activities outside between the hours from dusk to dawn during April to late October
  • Repair damaged window and door screens
  • Remove any standing water from areas around your home(pails, house gutters, etc.)
  1. West Nile Virus
  2. Eastern Equine Encephalatis (EEE)
  3. Zikavirus

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WEST NILE VIRUS (WNV)


https://www.mass.gov/service-details/west-nile-virus-wnv


  • 80% of people with the WNV have no symptoms.
  •  148 people were reported with WNV infection in all of Massachusetts in the last 9 years.
  •  Less than 1% infected with WNV  will have severe illness that can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness.
  •  Persons older than 50 years of age have a higher risk of developing severe illness.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON MOSQUITO BORNE DISEASES: 

Contact your local health department, Mass. Dept. of Public Health at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/mosquito-borne-disease-prevention 

#mosquito-borne-disease-fact-sheets or scan the QR code below

Mosquito borne diseases scan code

Printable fact sheet can be found here