CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – State health officials said Friday they have found more evidence of Eastern equine encephalitis – this time in a mosquito pool in Atkinson.

For the second summer in a row, fears about mosquito-borne illnesses including Triple E are resurfacing in southeastern New Hampshire. Health officials say there is no cause for panic but warn the problem may recur for years.

State health Commissioner John Stephen and other officials said Thursday that neighboring Massachusetts has been dealing with the threat of the mosquito-borne virus for years, and the Hampstead-Danville-Kingston area just north of the Massachusetts border probably will, too.

“If we can learn anything from Massachusetts over the last 70 years, it’s that it tends to cycle for several years … so certainly we’ve got to be prepared for it here in New Hampshire,” said Jason Stull, the state veterinarian.

The two spoke at a meeting of state and local health officials in Brentwood to share information and plan a strategy.

The state is recommending that nearly a dozen communities in Rockingham County consider spraying to kill mosquitoes. The virus has been found in pools in Newton, Danville, Manchester, Fremont and Hampstead, and in birds in South Hampton and Hampstead.

On Friday, health officials announced two birds from Nashua have tested positive for West Nile virus, bringing the number of birds in the state found with that virus to six this year.

Massachusetts recorded its first death from EEE this year on Thursday – a 9-year-old boy from Middleborough, Mass. Seven people got the disease in New Hampshire last year and two died from it.

This year, no human cases have been recorded in New Hampshire, and Stephen hopes to keep it that way.

“We don’t want people to panic,” he said. “We want people to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather, but continue to be vigilant.”

People are encouraged to use bug repellant whenever they expect to be exposed to mosquitoes.