The risk for West Nile virus is high in 10 cities and towns in Massachusetts, including Boston, public health officials say.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health raised the risk level for West Nile Virus to high in many communities, urging residents to protect against the mosquito-borne disease.

Officials of the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) are urging residents to take precautions as the risk level of transmission of the West Nile Virus in Boston has been raised to ‘high’.

Mosquitoes collected in Framingham have tested positive for West Nile virus, and officials said Thursday that the city has been elevated to moderate risk of virus transmission.

West Nile virus (WNV) has been the dominant cause of mosquito-borne illness in the United States since its introduction into North America in 1999. There are no vaccines nor medications to prevent or treat illness in people,

The risk for West Nile virus is now high in 10 Massachusetts communities, state public health officials said Tuesday.