Fairfield Mosquito Tests Positive for West Nile Virus

FAIRFIELD, CT — A mosquito trapped in Fairfield has tested positive for West Nile Virus, the state of Connecticut Mosquito Management Program announced on Tuesday.

This is the first positive mosquito identified in Fairfield this year by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and the State of Connecticut Department of Health Epidemiology Lab.

This year, nine other municipalities, including West Hartford, Hartford, Darien, Stamford, Easton, Bridgeport, Stratford, Newington, and West Haven, have also reported West Nile Virus positive mosquitoes from June 13, 2016 through August 16, 2016.

No Connecticut residents have been identified with illnesses related to WNV infections this year.

“We want to encourage residents to reduce their risk of mosquito borne illness by taking the appropriate precautions,” Sands Cleary, Fairfield Director of Health, said in a press release. “If you must be outdoors at dawn and at dusk when mosquitoes are most active, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Use insect repellant but be sure to carefully follow the manufacturer’s directions. It is also recommended that you eliminate standing water from your property by emptying water that collects in unused birdbaths, boats, buckets, tires, unused pools, roof gutters and other containers.”

Read more from the press release below:

For more information on reducing your risk of getting bitten, visit the Town of Fairfield Health Department website here.

Monitoring and risk assessment for WNV emphasizes mosquito trapping and testing. The CAES maintains a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities throughout the state. Traps are set and attended by CAES staff every 10 days at each site on a regular rotation from June through October. Mosquitoes are grouped (pooled) for testing according to species, collection site and date. Each pool is tested for the presence of viruses of public health importance.

Positive findings are reported to local health departments, in press releases, and on the CAES website here.

For information on West Nile Virus and what you can do to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, visit the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program website here. You may download and print a two page brochure on West-Nile Virus from the CAES website here.

For more information or questions, please contact Sands Cleary, Director of Health at 203-256-3020 or scleary@fairfieldct.org.

Image via Shutterstock

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