Residents are reminded of the importance of precautions to avoid mosquito bites

The State Mosquito Management Program announced today that mosquitoes trapped and tested by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station continue to be positive for West Nile virus (WNV). Residents are cautioned that with warm weather forecasted, risk of acquiring WNV infections in Connecticut continues.

“The current warm weather provides favorable conditions for the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus,” said Dr. Philip Armstrong, Medical Entomologist at the CAES. “These mosquitoes are most active at nighttime when temperatures are higher than average."

“With continued warm weather predicted for the holiday weekend, the DPH is again reminding everyone to take steps to prevent mosquito bites,” said Dr. Randall Nelson, infectious disease epidemiologist with the Connecticut Department of Public Health. “In recent weeks the CAES has reported an increasing number of infected mosquitoes especially at trap sites in coastal towns.”

While no human cases of WNV infection have been reported this year, the numbers of WNV infected mosquitoes responsible for transmission of the virus to people that have been trapped recently exceed the historical weekly averages.

During 2015, WNV-positive mosquitoes have now been identified in 19 towns: Bridgeport, Cheshire, Chester, Darien, East Haven, Glastonbury, Greenwich, Groton, Guilford, Hartford, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, Stonington, Stratford, Waterford, West Haven, Westport and Wethersfield. Of the 19 towns, 14 are located along Long Island Sound in Fairfield (7), New Haven (4) and New London (3) counties.

The State of Connecticut Mosquito Management Program is a collaborative effort involving the September 3, 2015

Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Agriculture, and the University of Connecticut Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science. These agencies are responsible for monitoring the potential public health threat of mosquito-borne diseases.

The CAES maintains a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities throughout the state. Mosquito traps are set Monday – Thursday nights at each site every ten days on a rotating basis. Mosquitoes are grouped (pooled) for testing according to species, collection site, and date. Positive findings are reported to local health departments and on the CAES website at http://www.ct.gov/caes/mosquitotesting.

For information on West Nile and eastern equine encephalitis viruses and how to prevent mosquito bites, visit the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program Web site at www.ct.gov/mosquito.