Be on the lookout for pests if you head out at night. The state Department of Public Health reported Tuesday that mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus were found in Darien.
"West Nile virus in mosquitoes is spreading to additional areas of the state," Theodore G. Andreadis, Ph.D., chief medical entomologist for the Connecticut Experimental Agricultural Station said in a press release. "Positive mosquitoes also continue to be identified in previously identified areas indicating increasing proportion of mosquitoes infected."
The station trapped mosquitoes carrying the virus in Darien over the week of Aug. 12-18. So far this year, they have found pests with the disease in 17 other towns across the state: Bethel, Bridgeport, Fairfield, Greenwich, Manchester, Meriden, Milford, Newtown, Norwalk, New Britain, Orange, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, West Haven, Westport and Wethersfield. But only two people, in Trumbull and New Haven, have contracted West Nile in 2010.
Darien Director of Health David Knauf, however, doesn't think citizens should be too alarmed about the findings. "It happens every year," Knauf said. "Living where mosquitoes thrive, like in the Northeast, it's really just a matter of time before they find [West Nile]." He added that the agricultural station found the virus in Darien the last two years as well, without incident. "The communicability of West Nile Virus is very rare in humans," Knauf said.
Still, there are some simple precautions to take to prevent mosquito bites. The state Department of Public Health recommends wearing insect repellantjust remember to spray it away from your face and keep it away from open cuts. To limit the mosquito population, try to prevent the amount of standing water in your backyard. For more tips, visit the DPHs Mosquito Management Program website.
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