West Nile Virus Positive Mosquitoes Identified In 20 Connecticut Towns

Twenty Connecticut towns are reported to have West Nile Virus positive mosquitoes, Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. J. Robert Galvin informs. Connecticut's Mosquito Management Program announced that a resident of Clinton recently tested positive for WNV (West Nile Virus) and has been admitted to hospital.

The elderly resident showed symptoms of fever, severeheadache, weakness andfatigue during the first month of September and is in hospital for meningitis. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of WNV antibodies.

Six people have been reported with WNV infection in the state so far this year, the other five are from Bridgeport, Greenwich, New Haven, Stamford and Trumbull. Health authorities say two more individuals who travelled out of state also became infected.

Dr. Galvin said:

West Nile virus can cause serious illness, especially in people over 50. In Connecticut, this is the time of year when the risk of getting sick from West Nile virus is the greatest. West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, and simple things like wearing long-sleeved shirts, using insect repellant, and minimizing time outside at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active can help you reduce your risk of getting this virus.

The 20 towns where WNV-positive mosquitoes have been identified include Bethel, Bridgeport, Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, Manchester, Meriden, Milford, Newtown, Norwalk, New Britain, New Haven, Orange, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Wallingford, West Haven, Westport and Wethersfield. 

Dr. Theodore G. Andreadis, Ph.D., Chief Medical Entomologist, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said:

Although cooler weather is expected which should slow virus build-up, we continue to repeatedly identify infected mosquitoes throughout central and southern regions of the state. We anticipate that virus activity will continue for several more weeks.

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station says it has a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities throughout the state, operating from June till the end of October. The traps are set every ten days at each site on a rotating basis. The mosquitoes are pooled according to collection site, date and species. Each pool is tested for West Nile Virus and eastern equine encephalitisviruses.