Two additional human cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed in women in Massachusetts, raising the state’s total this year to 15, state health officials said Friday.
A woman in her 60s was exposed to the mosquito-borne illness in Middlesex County, and a woman in her 70s was probably exposed while out-of-state, according to a statement from the state Department of Public Health.
This year, 333 samples of mosquitoes with West Nile virus have been detected in Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester counties. The number of human cases reported has more than doubled from last year.
In Rhode Island, two more human cases of West Nile virus, a Newport County resident in their 60s and a Providence County resident in their 50s, were also confirmed by health officials on Friday, increasing the state’s total to six.
The risk of West Nile virus is expected to decrease as the weather gets colder. There have been no animal cases of West Nile virus this year.
The public is cautioned to use an EPA-approved insect repellent, wear long-sleeved clothing, drain standing water where mosquitos can lay their eggs, and avoid peak mosquito hours from dusk to dawn.
“People have an important role to play in protecting themselves and their loved ones from illnesses caused by mosquitoes,” officials said.
Kiera McDonald can be reached at kiera.mcdonald@globe.com.