A third mosquito tests positive for West Nile Virus in Pittsfield, upping the city’s risk designation by statewide monitors

The testing was conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which studies weekly samples of mosquitoes collected by the Berkshire County Mosquito Control Project to screen for transmissible disease. The sample that came up positive for the virus was taken in the Allendale neighborhood on Cheshire Road. The finding elevates Pittsfield’s West Nile Virus possibility designation to moderate on the Mass. DPH’s risk map for the commonwealth. The CDC says that while 80% of those infected with the virus experience no symptoms, serious cases can lead to encephalitis, meningitis, and other ailments that could be fatal. Pittsfield advises the wearing of long sleeves and pants, the use of mosquito repellant, and not allowing standing water to grow stagnant.