Mosquitoes in Wethersfield test positive for West Nile virus

Mosquitoes trapped in Wethersfield tested positive for West Nile virus, state officials said Wednesday.

The State of Connecticut Mosquito Management Program said mosquitoes trapped last Monday tested positive for the virus. They are the first sign of West Nile detected by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) so far this year, officials said.

“The first West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes of the season have been identified,” Dr. Philip Armstrong, a medical entomologist at CAES, said in a statement Monday. “The recent rainfall, high humidity and warm temperatures have increased mosquito activity, and West Nile virus is expected to build up in the weeks ahead. We will continue to closely monitor mosquitoes for virus amplification from now through October.”

“This serves as a reminder for people to take steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites,” Dr. Jason White, director of CAES, said in a statement. “We encourage everyone to take precautionary measures such as wearing mosquito repellent and covering bare skin, especially during dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.”

Last year, West Nile virus was detected in 185 mosquito pools from 24 towns in six counties in Connecticut, according to CAES. The majority of that activity was detected in densely populated urban and suburban regions in the Fairfield, Hartford and New Haven counties.

Between Aug. 11 and Sept. 20 last year, seven human cases of West Nile virus-associated illness were reported in the state.