BOSTON -- Eastern equine encephalitis has been found in mosquito samples that were recently collected in New Bedford and Raynham, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said Friday.

EEE-positive mosquito samples were found in Berkley, Carver, Freetown, Halifax, New Bedford and Raynham earlier this year. In addition to mosquitoes, DPH announced that the EEE virus had been found in a horse in Freetown last week.

While there weren’t any human cases of EEE during 2007, there were 13 cases with six deaths during the last outbreak cycle. In 2007, there were six human cases of West Nile virus in Massachusetts.

Both EEE and WNV are usually spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. WNV can infect people of all ages, but people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe disease. EEE is a generally more serious disease in people of every age and can even cause death.

People are advised to wear protective clothing and insect repellent during peak mosquito hours, and drain any pools of standing water on their property.