West Hartford Issues Mosquito Warning

Town of West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — With mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus approaching the central part of the state, West Hartford officials issued a warning for local residents on Wednesday.

Last month, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station reported that bugs in eight towns in the state tested positive for WNV.

Most of those towns were on the shoreline or in Fairfield County, but one town — Wethersfield — was in Hartford County, the same as West Hartford

This prompted West Hartford officials to sound the alert for its residents.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States," wrote the town.

"It is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. Cases of West Nile occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall."

The town reports there are no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat West Nile in people, but, fortunately, most people infected with West Nile virus do not feel sick.

But, the town said, about 1 in 5 infected people develop a fever and other symptoms and about 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.

West Hartford officials said some actions can mitigate the problem: Mosquito repellents; wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants; and limiting outdoor exposure from dusk to dawn.

"Using air conditioning, installing window and door screens, and reducing mosquito breeding sites around the home, can further decrease the risk for WNV exposure," wrote the town.

For more information on personal protective measures, visit the federal Center for Disease Control's website at this link.