NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Scientists from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station joined Senator Richard Blumenthal on Thursday to warn of the risks ahead posed by mosquitoes and ticks.
Dr. Phil Armstrong, who leads the mosquito surveillance program at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station said, “I worry about people getting “disease fatigue” because they are hearing so much about Covid-19, but we’ve got to not lose sight of those other threats out there.”
The threats like Lyme Disease, West Nile, and Triple E (Eastern Equine Encephalitis) which threaten the public especially in July and August were the focus of the event. “We had the largest outbreak of EEE virus in the United States in more than 50 years (in 2019) and Connecticut was affected by that,” said Armstrong who noted that EEE claimed three residents of the state last year.
The scientists continued the message that prevention is key, Senator Blumenthal echoed the sentiments. “Lyme disease and EEE are continuing menaces,”
Blumenthal said. “They are crippling and cruel but they can be prevented.”
Armstrong said that around two to three hundred thousand mosquitoes from across the state will be tested at the Ag station for various diseases.
Armstrong added the importance of taking precautions, using insect repellent and doing tick checks, “we’ve got to keep our eye on the ball,” he said.
To find out more prevention tips from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station click here.