Infected Mosquitoes on the Rise in Connecticut

A combination of wet weather and warm temperatures throughout the country means that mosquitoes with the West Nile virus will likely be on the rise this summer, warns state officials.

According to the Associated Press, Connecticut officials say there has been double the mosquito species that carries the virus this year due to the weather compared to last year.

The West Nile virus spreads when a mosquito bites a person. The Connecticut Mosquito Management Program says most infected people never display any symptoms or simply suffer a fever or headache.

Especially for people 50 years or old, the disease can be much more serious. Inflammation of the brain or meningitis is possible, and there’s a chance of death in 3-15 percent of the people infected with the most severe form of West Nile virus.

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The Mosquito Management Program offers these tips on their website:

• Minimize time spent outdoors around dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Be sure door and window screens are tight fitting and in good repair.
• Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time, or when mosquitoes are most active. Clothing should be light colored and made of tightly woven materials that keep mosquitoes away from the skin.
• Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure and to protect small babies when outdoors.
• Consider the use of mosquito repellent, according to label instructions, when it is necessary to be outdoors.

In the Rocky Hill area, The since June. The mosquito trapping and testing program, which is being coordinated by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, began on June 4 with the collection sites located in Wehtersfield and Newington.

In 2011, WNV-positive mosquitoes were trapped in 30 municipalities, with the first infected mosquitoes detected on June 21 and the last detected on Oct. 17.

For more information, please call Health District, which serves the towns of Newington, Rocky Hill and Wethersfield, at 860-721-2822.

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