West Nile Virus Found Near North Kingstown

West Nile Virus, which is potentially deadly to humans, was discovered in the South Kingstown village of West Kingston earlier this month, state health officials said.

It was the first discovery of the virus in Rhode Island this year.

The virus was found in a sample mosquito pool collected on Aug. 4 in the Great Swamp area. State health officials said they were still waiting on results of 150 pools taken from across the state.

Jamestown Canyon Virus has also been found in a mosquito pool this summer. There have been no positive results for Eastern Equine Encephalitis yet.

Mosquitoes can transmit West Nile Virus to humans through bites.

State health officials provided the following tips to prevent getting bit:

• Remove standing water around yards and houses by emptying planters, wading pools, trash and recycling bins, and other places where water might accumulate to reduce mosquito breeding. Mosquitoes breed in standing water. Just one cup of standing water can produce hundreds of mosquitoes.
• Help keep mosquitoes away from your surroundings. Be sure all open windows are screened, repair any holes in screens, and fix loose screens.
• Dress for protection. Wear long pants, long-sleeve shirts and socks during outdoor evening activities.
• Use bug spray. Use mosquito and tick repellent with no more than 30 percent DEET during outdoor activities, particularly at dusk and during evening hours, when mosquitoes are most active. Do not use repellent on infants. Instead, put mosquito netting over playpens and baby carriages.
• Time activities for maximum protection. If possible, minimize outdoor activities between dusk and dawn.
• Mosquitoes are trapped every week statewide by DEM staff and tested at the RI Department of Health State Health Laboratories. DEM will normally report mosquito test results once a week on a routine basis, with additional reports as necessary. Test results from mosquitoes trapped this week will be included in next week’s announcement. Positive mosquito test results will generally trigger additional trappings to assess risk.