BOSTON (AP) – Massachusetts health officials say mosquitoes in the state have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis for the first time this year.

The Department of Public Health reports that laboratory tests on Friday confirmed that a mosquito sample collected in Bridgewater carried the rare and potentially fatal brain infection. The sample was collected on July 19.

EEE is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. No human cases have been reported so far this year. There was one EEE case in the state last year. A Rhode Island resident was also probably exposed to the virus in Massachusetts last year.

The Centers for Disease Control says an average of five human cases of the disease occur each year in the U.S.

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