EEE Detected In Cape Cod Mosquitoes

PROVINCETOWN, MA — State health officials have found Eastern equine encephalitis in mosquitoes collected in Provincetown, local officials confirmed this week.

Provincetown officials issued an alert on Wednesday that two local mosquito samples tested EEE-positive.

One sample is a woodland species that mainly feeds on birds but will occasionally bite mammals and humans. The other sample is a freshwater species that bites both mammals and humans, officials said.

The Cape Cod Mosquito Control Program is beginning a treatment plan "immediately and through this week to reduce risks," town officials said.

Though state officials say it's rare for the disease to infect humans, there have been two human cases in Massachusetts this summer.

The first was reported in Worcester County in early August, with the second reported in Plymouth County in late August.

Two animal cases have also been reported this year, with 88 mosquito samples returning positive EEE testing, state data shows.