Mosquitoes Test Positive For West Nile Virus In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — The Connecticut Mosquito Management Program on Tuesday announced that mosquitoes trapped near the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center site in Old Greenwich have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV)

These are the first positive mosquitoes identified by the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station in Greenwich this year. Other WNV-positive mosquito pools have been identified in Darien, Norwalk, New Canaan, New Haven and Stamford.

Greenwich has conducted a preemptive larviciding program, which includes the treatment of public and private roadway catch basins, public school ground catch basins and other property owned and operated by the town as needed, according to the Greenwich Department of Health.

"Controlling the mosquito population in the larval stage through the application of larvicide has been found to be a prudent action; however, this measure only helps to reduce the mosquito population, not eliminate it," said Greenwich Director of Health Caroline Calderone Baisley in a news release. "The recent warm weather and periodic rain events have increased the ability for mosquitoes to breed. Residents are encouraged to protect themselves whenever they are outdoors."

Greenwich Director of Environmental Services Michael Long said residents should eliminate standing water on their own properties and protect themselves at all times.

"It is important to recognize that the highest risk of exposure to West Nile Virus infected mosquitoes is during the months of August and September," Long said in a news release.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that WNV is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States.

There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat WNV in people, but most people infected with the disease do not feel sick, the CDC says.

About one in five people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms, and about one out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal illness, according to the CDC.

The following precautions should be taken when outdoors:

• Avoid outdoor activities at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Use mosquito repellent according to the manufacturer’s directions on the label (10 percent or less DEET for children and no more than 30 percent DEET for adults). Always wash treated skin when returning indoors.
• Avoid application of repellents with DEET on infants and small children.
• Cover the arms and legs of children playing outdoors.
• Cover playpens or carriages with mosquito netting.
• Don’t camp overnight near stagnant or standing water.

Eliminate standing water by:

• Getting rid of any water-holding containers (old tires, etc.).
• Raking out puddles and drain ditches, culverts, gutters, pool and boat covers.
• Covering trash containers.
• Chlorinating your backyard pool and empty wading pools when not in use.
• Changing the water in birdbaths daily.
• Keeping grass cut short and shrubbery well trimmed around the house so adult mosquitoes cannot hide there.
• Ponds and stagnant water bodies that do not support fish, frogs or other amphibians that eat mosquito larvae may be treated with a biological control agent such as Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI). It is suggested that the Department of Health or Conservation be contacted when treatment is considered.

For more information, visit the health department page on the town website.