Health & Fitness

Mosquitoes Carrying West Nile Virus Trapped In New Canaan: State

The mosquitoes were trapped on June 19 and represent the first positive tests of West Nile-carrying mosquitoes in CT in 2018.

NEW CANAAN, CT — Mosquitoes that tested positive for West Nile virus were trapped in New Canaan on June 19, according to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, marking the first positive tests in the state in 2018.

The positive tests is one of the earliest detections of West Nile in the state in the past 20 years, says Dr. Philip Armstrong, Medical Entomologist with CAES, who added that the agency will continue to monitor the situation.

Residents are urged to minimize time outside between dusk and dawn, which mosquitoes are most active, and keep screen doors and windows tightly closed.

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Additionally, cover up with shoes, socks, long pants and long-sleeved shirts when working outside or spending long periods of time outdoors, and consider using mosquito repellent.

"Most people who are infected have no symptoms or may experience mild illness before fully recovering," writes the Connecticut Department of Health. "In some individuals, particularly the elderly, West Nile virus can cause serious disease that affects the nervous system. At its most serious, it can cause damage to the body’s nervous system. Symptoms generally occur 3-14 days following the bite of an infected mosquito, and range from fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and less frequently skin rash and swollen nodes to severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, muscle weakness, coma, or death."

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Click here for more information on West Nile virus from the state Department of Health.

Image via Shutterstock


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