Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is calling for greater international cooperation for vaccine development against mosquito-borne West Nile virus following what he described as a “harrowing experience” with infection this summer.

Two women who’ve contracted West Nile virus have brought the total number of cases in Massachusetts to 15 this year, officials announced Friday afternoon. One woman is in her 60s, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said. She was most likely exposed in Middlesex County.

At least 10 EEE cases have been reported across the country this year, with one death confirmed in New Hampshire. Besides EEE, dengue fever and West Nile virus are the most common mosquito-borne diseases in the US.

There remains only one recorded case of Eastern equine encephalitis, the rare but potentially deadly disease known as EEE, first reported last month.

Since Aug. 7, 16 Suffolk residents have tested positive for West Nile, the second highest number of human cases in a single year since the county began reporting cases in 2000, the county said.

A San Fernando Valley resident died from West Nile virus, marking the first death from the mosquito-borne illness reported in Los Angeles County this year.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health has confirmed two cases of West Nile virus in Myrtle Beach, according to a post on the city’s Facebook page. The city said it is increasing its regular mosquito spraying as a precaution,

A woman in her 60s was exposed to the mosquito-borne illness in Middlesex County, and a woman in her 70s was probably exposed while out-of-state, officials said.

Health and environmental officials in Rhode Island and Massachusetts are reminding people to keep protecting themselves from mosquito bites, as the risk of transmitted diseases remains.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is reporting that two women have been diagnosed with West Nile Virus in Massachusetts.