Mass. authorities say travel advisory issued for the New England region due to threat from Islamic State in Syria and Iraq

A travel advisory has been issued in the Northeast following reports of a threat from the Islamic State group in Syria, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said Friday.

The Department of Public Health and Mental Hygiene issued the advisory for the northeastern New England Region and said travelers who may be affected should avoid travel to New England until further notice.

Massachusetts has been hit hard by the outbreak, with more than 2,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands of people infected, with the highest death toll of any state in the nation.