West Nile Virus Takes Hold In Wethersfield: State

WETHERSFIELD, CT — Wethersfield is proving to be a summer hotspot for mosquitoes carrying a potentially dangeroud disease, according to the state.

According to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station out of New Haven, which regularly traps and tests mosquitoes to monitor diseases, four blood-sucking bugs from Wethersfield have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV), all being trapped of Goff Road.

The positives came in two separate testing days in July, one one July 17 and the other 10 days later on July 27, according to the state in a report unveiled on Monday.

The four positives are out of a total of 15 positives statewide, with most of those being along the shoreline.

In addition, state officials said, the four positives came from a total of 2,321 mosquitoes tested in Wethersfield this summer.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WNV is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the U.S.

Most get it and don't, even, feel sick, the CDC reports, but one in five do get a fever and other symptoms while one in 150 "develop serious, sometimes fatal, illness."

"You can reduce your risk of WNV by using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites," wrote the CDC.

For more information on West Nile Virus, click on this link.

For the updated, Aug. 7 mosquito report from the State of Connecticut, click on this link.