West Nile virus (WNV) was first identified in Connecticut in 1999. The Department of Public Health (DPH) in collaboration with other state agencies and local governments implemented surveillance systems in 2000. These surveillance systems included tracking WNV infections in humans, horses, wild birds, and mosquitoes. It was determined that mosquito surveillance was the best sustainable indicator of potential human infections. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station maintains 91 mosquito trap sites in 73 towns statewide. The trapping sites were selected based on habitat, proximity to residential areas, and historical findings.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),West Nile virus (WNV) infection can cause serious disease; considered a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall spread by the bite of an infected mosquito.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),West Nile virus (WNV) infection can cause serious disease; considered a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall spread by the bite of an infected mosquito.
Approximately 80% of people who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all, up to 20 percent of the people who become infected will have milder symptoms which can include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days to as long as several weeks approximately 1 in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness.
Milder WNV illness will improve on without treatment, and people do not need to seek medical attention for this infection though they may choose to do so. If you develop symptoms of severe WNV illness, such as unusually severe headaches or confusion, seek medical attention immediately. Severe WNV illness usually requires hospitalization.
How can you prevent WNV?
The easiest and best way to avoid WNV is to prevent mosquito bites.
*When outdoors, use repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, some oil of lemon eucalyptus or
paramenthane-diol. Follow the directions on the package.
*Many mosquitoes are most active from dusk to dawn.
*Be sure to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants at these times or consider staying indoors
during these hours.
*Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
*Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels.
*Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.
To learn more:
CDC Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/faq/genQuestions.html#what
APIC Mosquitoes, West Nile Virus and you APIC
http://www.apic.org/For-Consumers/Monthly-alerts-for-consumers/Article?id=mosquitoes-west-nile-virus-and-you
CT Department of Public Health
http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3136&q=396192
Milder WNV illness will improve on without treatment, and people do not need to seek medical attention for this infection though they may choose to do so. If you develop symptoms of severe WNV illness, such as unusually severe headaches or confusion, seek medical attention immediately. Severe WNV illness usually requires hospitalization.
How can you prevent WNV?
The easiest and best way to avoid WNV is to prevent mosquito bites.
*When outdoors, use repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, some oil of lemon eucalyptus or
paramenthane-diol. Follow the directions on the package.
*Many mosquitoes are most active from dusk to dawn.
*Be sure to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants at these times or consider staying indoors
during these hours.
*Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
*Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels.
*Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.
To learn more:
CDC Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/faq/genQuestions.html#what
APIC Mosquitoes, West Nile Virus and you APIC
http://www.apic.org/For-Consumers/Monthly-alerts-for-consumers/Article?id=mosquitoes-west-nile-virus-and-you
CT Department of Public Health
http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3136&q=396192
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