Health officials in Massachusetts have confirmed a second case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in a person.
The patient is a woman in her 30s who was exposed in the area of Plymouth County, in the southeastern part of the state, according to an update published Thursday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH).
The MDPH said the woman was in an area that had been aerially sprayed for mosquitoes on Tuesday night, and she became infected before spraying was done this week.
A horse in the area also tested positive for EEE, the second confirmed case in a horse this year, the MDPH said.
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The cases come after 10 communities in Massachusetts , including Plymouth, were designated as being under high or critical risk of the virus earlier this week, according to the MDPH. Many of the affected areas began implementing targeted mosquito spraying to protect residents, officials said.