West Nile virus cases surge across US as mosquito season peaks

Each summer, an ancient negotiation between human settlement and the natural world reasserts itself — mosquitoes carry West Nile virus into communities across the United States, and 2026 is proving no exception. Massachusetts has confirmed seven human cases this season, with Worcester County recording its first local infection, while Maryland and other states document their own rising tallies. Public health officials, watching an unusually active mosquito season reach its peak, remind a sometimes-complacent public that the virus does not observe the calendar — its reach extends well into autum