Second Massachusetts EEE Death Reported

State health officials confirmed a second death from the EEE virus, according to Boston.com. A 63-year-old Amesbury woman died Saturday of complications from the virus.

The first human case of EEE in the state was detected in early August, and since then six others have been reported including the latest case, a Plymouth County boy under 18, according to Boston.com. The boy is now in recovery.

The EEE virus was detected in mosquitoes found in both Reading and North Reading. Both towns have taken action by spraying pesticides to eliminate the mosquitoes.

The health department also confirmed two new West Nile cases, which brings the total to 19 cases in the state, according to Boston.com. The West Nile outbreak this year was one of the largest this country had ever seen, Dr. Lyle Petersen of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a telebriefing in late August. However, the outbreak has passed it's peak according to the CDC's weekly count.