Mosquito With West Nile Virus Found In Hartford

HARTFORD, CT — City officials confirmed Wednesday a mosquito trapped in a Hartford park earlier this month has tested positive for West Nile Virus.

The City of Hartford issued a bulletin Wednesday on the situation, saying one mosquito carrying WNV was trapped in Keney Park on July 19.

Hartford leaders said WNV has been detected in Connecticut every year since 1999.
On Wednesday, the city credited the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station for its work in detecting West Nile Virus.

Earlier this week, the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program announced four other towns/cities have had bugs test positive in July: Darien, Fairfield, New Haven and Stamford.

Citing state officials, the city said symptoms of WNV can range from a slight fever, headache, rash, swollen lymph nodes and nausea to the rapid onset of a severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, muscle weakness and coma.

Despite the potential seriousness of the symptoms, the illness often brings only mild symptoms and is seen as being dangerous to the most frail, such as those very young or very old.

“West Nile Virus is very rare, but it’s good to be aware of the disease and its symptoms, and we wanted to share this information with our community,” said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin in the announcement.

The City of Hartford works to control the mosquito population to reduce the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.

For example, catch basins are treated twice over the summer, according to the statement.

Keney Park, located on 337 Vine St., is also treated, as its wooded environment provides mosquitoes an ideal breeding location, according to the city.

The City’s Department of Health and Human Services recommends people avoid WNV or other mosquito-borne illnesses by doing everything possible to avoid bites.

To see the City of Hartford's full announcement, including several tips to avoid mosquito bites, click on this link.

For more information on Keney Park in Hartford, click on this link.

For information on the Hartford Department of Health and Human Services, call (860) 757-4700 or visit https://www.hartfordct.gov/Gov.

For information on the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program, visit http://www.ct.gov/mosquito.