Folks throughout the Berkshires, Massachusetts, New England, and beyond have had their share of viruses to the point where I think we have met our cap. Obviously, COVID-19 has been the big one for over two years now and it's not gone yet. The virus is still lurking in the shadows as more variants are making their way to the party. Then folks throughout Massachusetts have had to deal with the tick-borne Powassan virus which causes symptoms such as nausea, chest pains, an altered mental state, and more. This virus has even been fatal in some cases which you can read more about by going here.

Now There is Another Virus in Massachusetts Which Isn't New to Us but Has Made its Way into Our State for the First Time in 2022

Another virus that isn't new to Massachusetts that has recently reared its ugly head in the Bay State is West Nile Virus. In a recent article published by Mass Live, the following was stated regarding West Nile Virus landing in our state for the first time this year.

A mosquito sample collected in Easton on July 11 tested positive for the virus at the Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory, but no human or animal cases of WNV or Eastern equine encephalitis have been detected this year and there is no elevated risk level associated with the positive sample, the agency said.

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This is good news as humans can get after it and practice prevention from contracting the virus because even though this virus isn't COVID or the Powassan virus it can still cause fever and flu-like symptoms, particularly for those over 50. In some cases, the virus can be deadly for those in that age group. Make sure you are wearing the proper insect repellent with DEET and make sure you keep mosquitoes away from your home. For a list of prevention tips and methods check out the article that was published by Mass Live.

READ ON: Live long and prosper in these states. 

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

Gallery Credit: Hannah Lang

CHECK IT OUT: The best county to live in for each state

 

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