Second Greenwich Resident Tests Positive For West Nile Virus

GREENWICH, CT — Town health officials announced Monday a second Greenwich resident has tested positive for West Nile Virus, according to the state Department of Public Health.

In a statement, Director of Health Caroline Calderone Baisley said the state recently notified the town health department about the positive case. The department announced the first resident to test positive for the virus this year in early September.

Baisley said the second resident, who is between the age of 60 and 69, became ill in the third week of September, experiencing flu-like symptoms that included fever, fatigue and a headache. The resident is currently recovering, Baisley said.

"This second case of human illness demonstrates that West Nile Virus presents a serious risk to human health when it becomes intensified in the community," Baisley said in a statement. "Thus far, mosquitoes infected with the virus have only been isolated from the mosquito collection site located in the Old Greenwich/Riverside area. Therefore, all residents in these areas must apply personal protection to avoid mosquito bites when outdoors, especially before dawn and dusk."

The announcement marks the seventh human case of West Nile Virus infection in Connecticut this year, Baisley said.

Town health officials noted the virus is spread to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito, which becomes infected when it bites a bird carrying the virus. West Nile Virus is not spread by person-to-person contact or directly from birds to people.

Most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito are able to fight off infection and experience mild or no symptoms at all, however it can also cause serious illness that affects the central nervous system in some individuals, including the elderly and people with compromised immune systems, officials said.

Now that the weather has become cooler in the evening and early morning hours, mosquito activity is declining and the mosquito population will naturally decline, Baisley said. Historically, it is not until the first hard frost that WNV-infected mosquitoes become completely non-threatening, Baisley said.

"As the mosquito population declines, so will the WNV infection activity," Baisley said. "As a result, the rate of human exposure to the virus will lessen."

All Greenwich residents are asked to take the following precautions when outdoors.

• Avoid outdoor activities at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants.
• When using mosquito repellents with DEET, use the lowest concentration effective for the time spent outdoors (for example, 6% lasts approximately 2 hours and 20% 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.
• Avoid application of repellents with DEET on infants and small children.
• Cover arms and legs of children playing outdoors.
• Cover playpens or carriages with mosquito netting.
• Don't camp overnight near stagnant or standing water.

Residents can eliminate standing water by:

• Getting rid of any water holding containers (old tires, etc.).
• Rake out puddles and drain ditches, culverts, gutters, pool and boat covers.
• Cover trash containers.
• Chlorinate your backyard pool and empty wading pools when not in use.
• Change the water in birdbaths daily.
• Keep grass cut short and shrubbery well trimmed around the house so adult mosquitoes cannot hide there.
• Ponds and stagnant water bodies that do not support fish, frogs or other amphibians that eat mosquito larvae may be treated with a biological control agent such as Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI). It is suggested that the Department of Health or Conservation be contacted when treatment is considered.

Further information can be found on the health department section of the town website.