EAST HAVEN – Our current hot, humid weather, with periodic heavy rains, has been a mosquito’s dream, and the Connecticut Department of Health’s nightmare.
Mosquitoes infected with the West Nile Virus have now been found in 14 Connecticut towns, with Wethersfield, Glastonbury and Darien added to the list Monday.
“They’re probably in all 169 towns and cities in Connecticut right now,” said Alex Cinotti, of the East Shore Health District, whose jurisdiction includes Branford, East Haven and North Branford.
East Haven recently joined the list after the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven confirmed infected mosquitoes had been trapped there on August 6.
“It’s terrible because we stay worried about it,” said Sabrina Ketylin, who lives on Burgess Street in East Haven, near where the mosquitoes were found. “I am from Brazil and in Brazil we have a big problem with mosquitoes, too.”
Anything that can hold stagnant water, including old tires, containers, catch basins and clogged gutters, are breeding spots.
“Any standing water that stands for more than seven days can become a mosquito larvae site,” said Cinotti.
Once an area has been identified as a breeding ground for infected mosquitoes, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station collects samples every 10 days.
Fever and fatigue are signs that one may have contracted West Nile Virus. And while August and September are the months in which people are most vulnerable, mosquitoes are present through the first hard frost.
For more information on West Nile Virus and how it can impact humans and animals, log on to the CT Mosquito Management Program website at www.ct.gov/mosquito.
