West Nile Virus confirmed in 8th Connecticut Resident
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Connecticut Department of Public Health
September 9, 2010 Contact: William Gerrish
(860) 509-7270
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Contact: Dr. Theodore Andreadis
(203) 974-8510
Hartford – The State Mosquito Management Program today announced that a resident of Clinton has tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV) infection and is hospitalized.
The resident, between 60-69 years of age, became ill during the first week of September and is hospitalized for meningitis. Illness was characterized by fever, severe headache, weakness and fatigue. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of antibodies to WNV. Five other persons, living in Bridgeport, Greenwich, New Haven, Stamford and Trumbull, have been reported with infections this year. Two additional Connecticut residents were infected while travelling out of the state.
“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,” said Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. J. Robert Galvin. “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.”
So far this season, WNV-positive mosquitoes have been identified in 20 towns – Bethel, Bridgeport, Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, Manchester, Meriden, Milford, Newtown, Norwalk, New Britain, New Haven, Orange, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Wallingford, West Haven, Westport and Wethersfield.
“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,” said Dr. Theodore G. Andreadis, Ph.D., Chief Medical Entomologist, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. “We anticipate that virus activity will continue for several more weeks.”
To monitor WNV, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station maintains a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities throughout the state from June through October. Mosquito traps are set every ten days at each site on a rotating basis. Mosquitoes are grouped (pooled) according to species, collection site, and date. Each pool is cultured for the presence of viruses of public health importance including West Nile and eastern equine encephalitis viruses.
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 or call toll free at 1-866-WNV-LINE (1-866-968-5463).