6 Mosquitoes Positive For West Nile In Latest Glastonbury Sampling

GLASTONBURY, CT — Last week produced the largest amount of mosquitos testing positive for West Nile Virus in Glastonbury this season.

Still, it was just a half-dozen out of 1,117 collected and tested this month.

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station released its latest report on Sept. 6 after a round of statewide sampling.

The mosquitoes were collected at the Tryon Street area testing station in Glastonbury.

"Fall is a wonderful time to enjoy being outdoors, but it is also the season when disease-causing mosquitoes are active," state officials said. "There is continued risk for mosquito-borne diseases until the first hard freeze when mosquito activity ends."

Summer test results so far have included a sparsity of positive tests in Glastonbury:

• July 10 - one
• July 31 - one
• Aug. 5 - one
• Aug. 22 - one
• Aug. 27 - one

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) is responsible for weekly trapping, identifying, and testing mosquitoes for encephalitis viruses. Positive findings are reported to local health departments and published to the CAES website at:

• http://www.ct.gov/caes/mosquitotesting

This season, West Nile Virus-carrying mosquitoes have been trapped throughout the Connecticut River Valley and the state overall. See the latest CAES report here. To view the latest map, visit the CAES website at https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/caes/documents/mosquito-testing/2024-mosquito-trapping-and-testing/september/2024-wnv-activity-map-as-of-sept-4.pdf.

"To help protect yourself against mosquito bites and associated disease exposure, it is important to minimize time outdoors during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are prevalent, and wear long sleeves and use insect repellent if outdoors at any point during those times," state officials said.