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The four Bridgeport residents and one Shelton resident are all recovering, the State Mosquito Management Program announced. Four of the five patients were hospitalized.
The five patients are all adults between 30 and 80 years of age, and each became ill between the third week of August and the second week of September.
“While the threat of virus transmission to people is subsiding, four human cases is an unusual number in one town, and we are closely monitoring the situation with the Bridgeport Health Department and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station,” said Dr. Randall Nelson, infectious disease epidemiologist with the Department of Public Health.
“We continue to remind residents of the importance of taking precautions to avoid mosquito bites.”
West Nile infected mosquitoes in Bridgeport were identified from Aug. 5 through 27, officials said.
“In Bridgeport the numbers of West Nile virus infected mosquitoes have declined significantly during the past three weeks,” said Dr. Philip Armstrong, medical entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
“However, there is still risk of new human infections in Bridgeport and several other Connecticut towns where infected mosquitoes have been repeatedly identified, especially along the coast from New Haven to Greenwich."
Health officials recommended the following to reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes.
- Remove standing water around your property.
- Minimize time spent outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
- Be sure door and window screens are tight-fitting and in good repair.
- Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors or when mosquitoes are most active.
- Consider using mosquito repellent, according to directions, when it is necessary to be outdoors.
The risk of West Nile virus is highest during August and September and typically subsides in October as mosquitoes die off due to lower temperatures.
This season, WNV-positive mosquitoes have now been identified in 23 towns, including Bridgeport, Darien, Greenwich, Norwalk, Stamford, Westport and Wilton.
Of the 23 towns, 14 are located along Long Island Sound. Positive mosquitoes continue to be identified at various locations.
In 2014, West Nile-positive mosquitoes were identified in a total of 15 towns. Six people, including two Bridgeport residents, were reported with West Nile-associated illnesses.
There were no fatalities; however, five people were hospitalized.
Last week, a 65-year old man from Passaic County, N.J., died due to West Nile Virus, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
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