West Nile virus has been detected in a goat in Lunenburg, becoming the first confirmed case in an animal in 2025 and raising the risk of infection across multiple Worcester County communities, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) said on Tuesday.

The state’s first animal case of West Nile virus for this year has been confirmed in a goat in Lunenburg, and the Worcester County town was elevated to moderate risk, Massachusetts public health officials said Tuesday.

Massachusetts' first animal case of West Nile virus in 2025 has been discovered in Lunenburg, the state Department of Public Health said Tuesday, July 15. The towns of Lunenburg and Shirley as well as the cities of Leominster and Fitchburg are being designated moderate risk for West Nile virus following the confirmed case in a goat.