August has a way of making us feel as though summer is beginning to wind down. Gardens are overflowing, back-to-school preparations are beginning, and the days are getting just a little shorter.

 

Unfortunately, the mosquitoes have not received the memo.

As we move through late summer, there are a few public health issues worth keeping on the radar — particularly West Nile virus, ticks and tick-borne illness, and making sure routine vaccinations are up to date before fall respiratory virus season arrives.

 

.

West Nile virus (WNV) is already circulating in mosquitoes across Massachusetts, and this year's surveillance is giving local public health officials good reason to pay attention.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed the state's first WNV-positive mosquito of the 2026 season in a sample collected June 16 in Clarksburg, Berkshire County. Since that first detection, positive mosquito pools have continued to appear around the Commonwealth and, importantly for Southampton residents, throughout western Massachusetts.

Closer to home, Franklin County has reported positive mosquito samples in Deerfield and Northfield. In neighboring Hampden County, WNV-positive mosquitoes have been detected in Holyoke, Chicopee, West Springfield and East Longmeadow.

For Southampton, that geographic spread matters. These are not distant detections on the other side of the state — they are communities throughout the Pioneer Valley, including several just a short drive from us.

Southampton is also a member of the Pioneer Valley Mosquito Control District, along with communities including Holyoke, Chicopee, West Springfield, East Longmeadow, Deerfield and Northfield. Mosquito trapping and disease surveillance are continuing throughout the region.

One thing we are watching particularly closely this year is the number of positive WNV mosquito pools appearing relatively early and with increasing frequency during the season. We are seeing enough positive pools at this point in the summer that residents should not wait for a human case — or for a positive mosquito sample to be identified specifically within Southampton — before making mosquito precautions part of their normal routine.

That doesn't mean it's time to barricade yourself inside until November. It does mean that mosquito repellent deserves a place next to the sunscreen when you're headed outdoors.

So, What Exactly Is a "Positive Mosquito Pool?"

It sounds a little more ominous than it actually is.

Mosquitoes collected through surveillance are grouped together and tested. When one of those groups — or "pools" — tests positive, it tells public health officials that West Nile virus is circulating within the mosquito population in that area.

It does not mean that every mosquito in that community is infected, and it does not mean that a human case has occurred.

Think of mosquito surveillance as an early-warning system. Finding the virus in mosquitoes gives us an opportunity to take precautions before people become sick — which is precisely the point.

Most people infected with WNV never develop symptoms. Those who do may experience fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, nausea or rash. In rare cases, WNV can cause serious neurologic illness, including meningitis or encephalitis. Adults over age 50 and people with certain underlying medical conditions are at greater risk of severe illness.

A Few Simple Ways to Make Yourself Less Appealing to Mosquitoes

Fortunately, mosquito prevention isn't complicated:

• Use an EPA-registered insect repellent when spending time outdoors. Products containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus/PMD can provide protection when used according to label directions.
• Remember dusk and dawn. Many of the mosquitoes capable of spreading WNV are especially active during those hours.
• Cover exposed skin when practical with long sleeves, long pants and socks.
• Dump standing water. Buckets, flowerpot saucers, children's toys, tires, clogged gutters, wheelbarrows, tarps and other containers can become mosquito breeding sites.
• Change the water in birdbaths and outdoor animal containers frequently.
• Check window and door screens and repair holes that allow mosquitoes indoors.
• Horse owners should make sure WNV and EEE vaccinations are current and speak with their veterinarian if they are unsure.
• And if you're standing outside while mosquitoes are treating you like an all-you-can-eat buffet, going indoors remains a perfectly respectable public health intervention.

Mosquito surveillance will continue throughout the season. Residents can follow current WNV and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) activity and municipal risk levels through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Arbovirus Update.

And remember that mosquito season doesn't necessarily end when the calendar says summer is over. Precautions should continue until mosquito activity ends following the first hard frost.

 

While mosquitoes tend to steal the public-health spotlight in August, ticks haven't gone anywhere. Massachusetts has experienced high tick activity during 2026, and the majority of reported tick-borne illnesses generally occur during the June-through-August period. Black-legged ticks can transmit Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Borrelia miyamotoi and Powassan virus, among other infections.

 

Continue doing tick checks after gardening, hiking, yard work or spending time in wooded, brushy or grassy areas. Check children and pets as well — and remember that some of the ticks we're looking for are astonishingly small.

 

A shower after coming indoors may help remove unattached ticks, and clothing can be placed in a dryer on high heat. Repellent and protective clothing can also reduce the chance of a tick attaching in the first place.

 

One newer item on the Massachusetts public-health radar is alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially serious allergy associated with tick bites. Massachusetts made alpha-gal syndrome reportable to DPH beginning April 1, 2026, another good reminder that our understanding of tick-related health effects continues to evolve.

 

Most of us remember childhood vaccinations because somebody else kept track of them.

Adult vaccination is different. There is no school nurse chasing us down the hallway to remind us that a booster is due.

 

Vaccination recommendations continue throughout adulthood and change with age, health conditions, pregnancy, occupation, travel and previous vaccination history. Massachusetts DPH currently recommends the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule as its primary reference for routine childhood immunization, while adult recommendations are based on age and individual risk factors.

 

Here's a simplified guide to some of the major vaccination milestones:

Current adult guidance recommends annual influenza vaccination, Td or Tdap boosters every 10 years after an initial Tdap, two doses of shingles vaccine beginning at age 50, and RSV vaccination for everyone 75 and older and for adults ages 50–74 who have increased risk of severe RSV illness. RSV vaccine is ideally given in late summer or early fall for eligible adults who have not previously received it.

 

This is meant as a general guide rather than an individual vaccination plan. Certain medical conditions, immune-system problems, pregnancy, travel or occupational exposures can change what is recommended and when. Your healthcare provider or pharmacist can help review your individual history.

 

The Southampton Senior Center periodically hosts vaccination clinics for area residents.

Rather than listing dates here — which can change as vaccines and schedules become available — residents are encouraged to check the Southampton Council on Aging/Senior Center webpage and the Southampton Senior Scoop for information about upcoming clinics, registration and vaccines being offered.

 

Measles is also worth mentioning.

 

Massachusetts reported two confirmed/probable measles cases in 2026 through June 30, following two confirmed cases announced by DPH in February. Those cases occurred against the backdrop of measles activity nationally and internationally.

 

For most fully vaccinated residents, the risk remains low. But measles is extremely contagious, which makes maintaining good community vaccination coverage important.

If you're unsure whether you received the MMR vaccine — particularly if you were born in 1957 or later — ask your healthcare provider whether you are considered immune or whether vaccination is appropriate.

 

Nobody wants to talk about flu season while they're still wearing sandals, but fall has a habit of arriving whether we've finished summer or not.

 

Massachusetts ended data collection for the 2025–2026 respiratory virus vaccination season on July 4, 2026, and information for the upcoming season was not yet available when DPH last updated its respiratory immunization dashboard. Updated guidance and surveillance will resume as the new respiratory season gets underway.

 

Late summer is therefore a good time to pull out that vaccination record — or try to remember where you put it — and see whether anything is due.

Massachusetts residents can also access vaccination records reported to the state's Immunization Information System through My Vax Records.

Enjoy what's left of summer. Go to the cookout. Work in the garden. Take the dog for a walk. Sit outside with your coffee.

 

Just add a few things to the routine:

None of those things requires much effort, but together they can prevent a surprising amount of trouble.

 

— Southampton Board of Health