Several towns in Massachusetts are taking precautions to prevent the spread of eastern equine encephalitis. With the State Health Department saying 10 communities are currently under high or critical risk of the virus. State officials have announced plans to spray for mosquitoes in Plymouth and Worcester counties this week on Friday, Plymouth began shutting down public parks and fields from dusk to dawn due to the high risk of earlier. This Massachusetts health officials announced the season's first human case, which was also the first case in the state since 2020. According to a press release, the CDC says eastern equine encephalitis virus is spread to people by a bite from an infected mosquito. Most cases occur in eastern or Gulf coast states. There are no vaccines to prevent infection in humans and no treatments. The best way to reduce your risk is to prevent mosquito bites that includes rid of standing water that can be filling up in buckets, gutters, empty tires and toys and making sure that you're protecting yourself as you're walking outside. Given the fact that the climate is getting warmer, more and more mosquitoes are outside. So we have to make sure that we're mindful of that. The CDC says most people infected don't experience symptoms, but approximately 30% of people who contract brain inflammation or encephalitis from the virus will die and many who survive have ongoing neurologic problems. Symptoms can include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, as well as seizures and drowsiness. So far this year, there have been three human cases of the virus reported by the CDC, the one in Massachusetts, as well as the one in New Jersey and another in Vermont, the highest number of human cases in the US occurred back in 2019 when 38 were reported aka J ABC News, New York.