Community Corner

West Nile Virus: First Human Case Reported in New Haven

In East Haven, mosquitoes tested positive for the disease in July. And officials warn August and September are the most dangerous months for the mosquito-borne illness to be passed along to humans.

Several weeks after , the first reported human case of West Nile virus (WNV) in Connecticut this year has occurred in neighboring New Haven.

The person, who is between the ages of 30 and 39, had onset of the illness during the first week of August and was hospitalized the following week with meningitis related to West Nile, officials said. 

Positive in East Haven

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East Shore Health District officials announced late last month that tested positive for the virus. The mosquitoes were collected on July 10 at the state’s East Haven trap location.

"These findings are earlier than in past summers," district official wrote in . "There’s a lot of summer remaining, and that means that mosquitoes will be with us for several more months, and we need to take the proper precautions to avoid mosquito bites."

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It appears the insects and the virus were able to weather the relatively warm, dry winter and dry conditions this spring, which might serve as a setback for summertime mosquito swarms.

Late Summer Greatest Risk

Symptoms included headache, stiff neck, nausea, and muscle weakness. The person was discharged from the hospital and is recovering. Infected mosquitoes have been repeatedly trapped in New Haven and surrounding communities from July 12 through Aug. 8.

“August and early September is the time of the year when people are at greatest risk of illness associated with West Nile virus infections,” said Dr. Randall Nelson, State Public Health Veterinarian with the Department of Public Health. “DPH urges everyone to take the warnings of the risk of mosquito-transmitted illness seriously and take precautions to prevent mosquito bites.”

The first mosquitoes carrying the disease .

Other Towns Testing Positive

And the rate of throughout the state, with infected mosquitoes discovered in more than three dozen towns so far this summer.

In addition to East Haven, from June 27 to Aug. 8 the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) has identified WNV positive mosquitoes in 40 towns: Bethel, Bridgeport, Cheshire, Chester, Danbury, Darien, Fairfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Greenwich, Groton, Hamden, Hartford, Killingworth, Meriden, Milford, Monroe, New Britain, New Canaan, New Haven, Newington, Newtown, North Branford, North Haven, Norwalk, Old Lyme, Shelton, South Windsor, Southington, Stamford, Stratford, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Hartford, West Haven, Westbrook, Westport, Wethersfield, and Wilton.

Mosquitoes positive for eastern equine encephalitis were trapped in Chester on Aug. 8.

Testing Process

Monitoring and risk assessment for WNV emphasizes mosquito trapping and testing results. The CAES maintains a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities throughout the state.

Mosquito traps are set Monday – Thursday nights at each site every ten days on a rotating basis. 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 and on the CAES web site at www.ct.gov/caes.


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