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A third person died of Eastern equine encephalitis virus transmitted by mosquitoes in Massachusetts this year after being diagnosed last month, health officials said Tuesday.
The public health department was recently informed of the death of the hospital by a hospital, said a spokesman for the department at Boston.com.
The person, who was not identified, was among the 10 recorded EEE human cases in Massachusetts this year and came from Hampden County, officials said.
Of these cases, only one was in Hampden County: a person between the ages of 71 and 80 diagnosed on August 16th.
The news only arrives a few days after the death of a rare virus in a 78-year-old Freetown man. James Longworth, father and grandfather, died on September 19 at St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford.
Last month, a Fairhaven woman died after contracting the infection.
The Commonwealth is currently experiencing its first EEE outbreak since 2012.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EEE kills about a third of people who contract it. Symptoms include fever, coma and swelling of the brain.
In Rhode Island, officials have confirmed at least three human cases of EEE this year, including one who killed a person in West Warwick earlier this month.
As of Friday, 35 communities in Massachusetts were at critical risk for EEE, 40 at high risk and 128 at moderate risk.
DPH urged the public to prevent mosquito bites by wearing anti-mosquito and long-sleeved clothing; repair broken windows and doors; drain stagnant water; and stay indoors after dark.
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