DPH: 12th human case of EEE confirmed, 4th death was improperly announced

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has confirmed the 12th human case of EEE and corrected the number of fatalities from the virus from four to three people.

The most recent human case of EEE is a woman in her 70s from Hampden County. She is currently hospitalized and has not been identified at this time.

Due to an incorrect report field by a hospital, the death of a man in Essex County on Wednesday night from EEE was incorrectly announced by state health officials. The count remains at three people as of Thursday.

Given the most recent EEE diagnosis, the communities of Agawam, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Southwick, Springfield, West Springfield and Westfield have been elevated to high risk.

According to state health officials, 35 communities are now at critical risk, 53 at high risk, and 121 at moderate risk for the EEE virus in Massachusetts. A map of the state's current EEE risk levels can be found here.

In addition to the 12 human cases of EEE this season in Massachusetts, there have also been eight confirmed cases of EEE this year in animals - seven horses and a goat.

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Cox Media Group