South Windsor Parks On Curfew In Wake Of Mosquito 'Emergency'

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — The town of South Windsor has declared a public health emergency that includes the early closure of parks, just hours after town officials confirmed the positive identification of a mosquito infected with the Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus.

Municipal and Board of Education officials have consulted with Diane Jorsey from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to determine mosquito treatment locations for town parks and schools. The South Windsor Parks Department will be working with a licensed pest control operator to treat standing water and "detention basins" throughout town in conjunction with mosquito spraying.

All outdoor town facilities and parks will be closing at 5:30 p.m. daily until the "first hard frost of the season," officials said.

Officials said to reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes residents should:

• Minimize time spent outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Be sure door and window screens are tight fitting and in good repair.
• Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods, or when mosquitoes are most active. Clothing should be light colored and made of tightly woven materials that keep mosquitoes away from the skin.
• Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure and to protect small babies when outdoors.
• Consider the use of mosquito repellent, according to directions, when it is necessary to be outdoors.

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station maintains a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities throughout the state. Mosquito traps are set Monday through Thursday nights at each site every ten days on a rotating basis. Mosquitoes are grouped (pooled) for testing according to species, collection site, and date.

Positive findings are reported to local health departments and on the CAES website at http://www.ct.gov/caes/mosquitotesting.