Eastern equine encephalitis virus found in Hampton, Madison, Old Lyme and Willington
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Connecticut Department of Public Health
September 2, 2009 Contact: William Gerrish
(860) 509-7270
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Contact: Theodore Andreadis, Ph.D.
(203) 974-8510
Hartford – The State Mosquito Management Program today announced that mosquitoes trapped in Cheshire on August 17 and in Farmington on August 20 tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). These are the first positive mosquitoes identified in Cheshire and Farmington by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) this year.
The State also announced that mosquitoes trapped in Hampton on August 24, Madison on August 18, Old Lyme on August 25 and Willington on August 24 tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEE).
“Mosquito populations are high and we expect to continue to identify infected mosquitoes,” said Theodore G. Andreadis, Ph.D., Chief Medical Entomologist, CAES. “Other states in our region are also reporting that they are finding increased numbers of mosquitoes with West Nile and eastern equine encephalitis viruses.”
In 2009, WNV-positive mosquitoes have been trapped in nine towns including: Cheshire, Darien, Cromwell, Farmington, Greenwich, Milford, Monroe, Old Lyme and Stratford. In addition, EEE-positive mosquitoes have been trapped in five towns including: Hampton, Killingworth, Madison, Old Lyme and Willington. To date, no Connecticut residents have been identified with WNV or EEE infections.
“The risk of mosquito-transmitted diseases like West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis virus usually increases through the late summer and early fall,” said Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner, J. Robert Galvin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A. “I am urging Connecticut residents to take announcements seriously and to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites.”
The CAES maintains a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities throughout the state to monitor and assess the risk of mosquito-transmitted diseases. Traps are set Monday – Thursday nights with trapping conducted at each site every ten days on a rotating basis. Mosquitoes are grouped (pooled) for testing according to species, collection site, and date. Each pool is tested for the presence of viruses of public health importance. Positive findings are reported to local health departments, in press releases and on the CAES web site.
For information on West Nile virus and what you can do to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, visit the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program Web site at www.ct.gov/mosquito.
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