HARTFORD, Conn. — More than 250 mosquitoes captured in Connecticut for testing this summer came back positive for either West Nile virus or Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEE) as of Tuesday, according to state researchers.
There have been 230 mosquitoes tested and found to be positive for WNV, with many of them detected in Fairfield, New London and Hartford Counties.
A woman from New Haven County was infected with WNV earlier this summer and has since recovered, health officials said.
There were 33 mosquitoes found to be carrying EEE in New London and Windham Counties. Seventeen mosquitoes positive for EEE were found in Canterbury, followed by 13 in Voluntown. A white-tail deer in Lisbon was infected with EEE and died on Aug. 12, according to the Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection.
DEEP will be spraying insecticide in the Mount Misery area of Pachaug State Forest in Voluntown on Thursday evening, starting at 5 p.m. The park will reopen Friday morning. This is being done in an abundance of caution and to prevent spread of mosquito-borne infections, DEEP said.
No human or horse cases of EEE have been detected in Connecticut so far this year, although a New Hampshire resident died after testing positive for EEE, and more human cases have been found in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Jersey, DEEP said.
To prevent mosquito bites and the spread of mosquito-borne infections, health officials recommend wearing light-colored, tightly woven long-sleeve layers and using bug spray when outside between dusk and dawn. Be sure to dump standing water, use screens on doors and windows, and use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors.
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