A 70-year-old woman became the first in Massachusetts to test positive for West Nile virus this year, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said Tuesday.

The woman was exposed to the disease in Middlesex County, officials said.

The department did not disclose details about specifically where or when the woman was exposed.

The mosquito-borne virus can be transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, the department said.

The first mosquitos positive for West Nile virus were announced June 17, found in Boston’s West Roxbury and Hyde Park neighborhoods.

Officials warned residents in early August about the rise of the virus, declaring the risk to be “high” in 10 Massachusetts communities.

The current risk for the virus is high in 10 municipalities in Suffolk and Middlesex co

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