Health officials in Maine on Tuesday said the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus has been detected in a resident from Penobscot County, the first human case of the virus in the state this year.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced the case on social media and said the risk level for EEE is currently “severe” in Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, and Waldo counties, areas that have had a history of EEE activity in recent years.
“With recent rain, the risk of mosquito-borne disease across the state is HIGH,” the Maine CDC said in a social media post announcing the human EEE case.
Health officials urged residents lower their risk of mosquito bites by emptying items of standing water around their property, such as plant pots, cups, buckets, yard toys, tarps, and other containers.
“Mosquitoes can lay eggs in even small amounts of standing water,” the Maine CDC said. “Dump them out and put them away.”
The peak time for mosquito bites is between dusk and dawn. Symptoms of EEE include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, and drowsiness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Massachusetts health officials have reported no human cases nor animal cases of EEE in the state this year, but 21 mosquito samples have tested positive for the virus, according to the state’s arbovirus risk map. Parts of Hampshire, Norfolk, and Plymouth counties are currently under “moderate” risk of EEE.
Massachusetts has seen four human cases human cases and one animal case of West Nile Virus this year, according to state data.
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.