2nd CT Resident Tests Positive For West Nile Virus: DPH

HARTFORD, CT — A second Connecticut resident has tested positive for West Nile virus infection, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced Friday.

The season’s first case of West Nile virus-associated illness was reported by state health officials on Sept. 2.

The patient lives in New Haven County and is between 30 - 39 years of age. He was admitted to a local hospital in early September where he was diagnosed with WNV meningitis, according to health officials. He is still hospitalized and his condition is improving, officials said.

"Residents should not be fooled by the cooler temperatures this weekend," DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani said in a news release. "It is still important to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Using insect repellent, covering bare skin, and avoiding being outdoors during the hours of dusk and dawn are effective ways to help keep you from being bitten by mosquitoes."

Philip Armstrong, medical entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said that mosquitoes are “still active and West Nile virus continues to circulate in Connecticut.”

“We anticipate continued risk for human infection until the first hard frost in October,” Armstrong said.

West Nile virus has been detected in Connecticut every year since1999 and is the most prevalent mosquito-borne disease in the U.S., according to a news release. Most people (eight out of 10) infected with WNV do not develop symptoms, the release states.

“About one in five people who are infected develop West Nile fever, an illness which includes a fever and other symptoms such as body aches, joint pain, headache, or a rash,” officials wrote in the news release. “About one out of 150 infected people develop a severe illness affecting the central nervous system. About one out of 10 cases of severe illness are fatal. People over the age of 60 are at highest risk of serious illness.”

Last year, six residents across Connecticut developed WNV-associated illness, and the virus was detected in mosquito populations in 43 towns.

Read more from the health department below:

Tips for reducing mosquitoes around homes

Mosquitoes require water for reproduction. The following are measures that can help reduce mosquitoes:

• Eliminate standing water suitable for mosquitoes. Dispose of water-holding containers, such as ceramic pots, used tires, and tire swings.
• Drill holes in the bottom of containers such as those used for recycling.
• Clean clogged roof gutters.
• Turn over objects that may trap water when not in use, such as wading pools and wheelbarrows.
• Change water in bird baths on a weekly basis.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools. When pools are not in use, use pool covers and drain when necessary.

Tips for avoiding mosquito bites when outdoors

Mosquitoes require a blood meal for reproduction. The following are measures that can help reduce bites from mosquitoes that feed on people:

• Minimize outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts. Clothing material should be tightly woven and loose fitting.
• Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors.
• Consider the use of CDC-recommended mosquito repellents, containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR3535, or 2-undecanone, and apply according to directions, when it is necessary to be outdoors.
• When using DEET, use the lowest concentration effective for the time spent outdoors (for example, 6 percent lasts approximately two hours and 20 percent for four hours) and wash treated skin when returning indoors. Do not apply under clothing, to wounds or irritated skin, the hands of children, or to infants less than two months old.
• Be sure door and window screens are tight fitting and in good repair to avoid mosquito bites when indoors.