Three Fairfield County localities are among first in the state to test positive for West Nile virus this year.
Connecticut”™s Mosquito Management Program (MMP) announced that mosquitoes trapped in Darien, Fairfield, Stamford on July 18 and 19 tested positive for the virus; New Haven also recorded virus-borne mosquitoes.
West Nile virus has been detected in Connecticut every year since it was introduced into North America in 1999. Last season, the virus was detected in 208 mosquito pools from 43 towns among all eight Connecticut counties, and six confirmed human cases were also reported from Fairfield, Hartford, and New Haven Counties.
“We will continue to closely monitor mosquitoes for continued virus amplification,” said Dr. Jason White, director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. “We encourage everyone to take precautionary measures, such as wearing mosquito repellent and covering bare skin, especially during dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.”
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