Testing has detected West Nile Virus in mosquitoes collected in Somerville, said the city’s Health and Human Services department on Monday.
Last week, Cambridge reported mosquito samples collected in Boston and Newton as testing positive for West Nile.
Still, Somerville and the region remains at low risk level for the virus by the state’s Department of Public Health, and residents can avoid bites by using insect repellent when going outdoors; wearing long sleeves, long pants and socks; and scheduling outdoor activities to avoid the hours from dusk to dawn.
At home, drain standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs – check rain gutters and drains, empty unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change the water in birdbaths frequently – and install tightly fitting window and door screens or repair damaged screens to help keep mosquitoes outside.
Mosquitoes were collected June 16 and June 21 in Somerville, and there have been no animal or human cases of the virus reported in the state, health officials said in an email.
“Only a small number of mosquitoes are infected at any given time, so being bitten by a mosquito does not mean you will get sick,” the officials said.
West Nile might cause some infected people fever, diarrhea, joint pain and headache and long-term fatigue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is possible to “develop severe illness, which can affect the central nervous system or illness that results in hospitalization or death.” People over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe infection.
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