Community Corner
Mosquitos in Central CT Test Positive for West Nile Virus
There have been no confirmed infections in humans so far, however the Southington and Meriden health departments provide ways to fight the bite this summer.
The State Mosquito Management Program announced this week that mosquitoes trapped in Meriden have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV).
WNV is an illness caused by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected after feeding on birds that carry the virus. There have been no confirmed human WNV infections reported this season so far.
Meriden is just the latest in a string of communities in Connecticut to see an increase in WNV infected mosquitoes this summer. According to the state Department of Public Health, cities such as New Haven, Newington, Stamford and Norwalk have seen an increase.
The Meriden Health Department would like to remind residents to take the following protective measures against WNV:
- Minimize time outdoors at 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 long-sleeved shirts when outdoors during dusk and dawn, or when in mosquito-infested areas, such as wetlands or woods.
- Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors.
- Consider using mosquito repellent when outdoors and follow the directions on the label.
Residents can reduce the amount of standing water available for mosquito breeding around their homes by:
- Emptying standing water from used or discarded tires that may have accumulated on your property (e.g. tire swings).
- Disposing of cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers that have accumulated on your property. Do not overlook containers that have become overgrown by vegetation.
- Drilling holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left out of doors. Drainage holes that are located on the sides collect enough water for mosquitoes to breed in.
- Cleaning clogged roof gutters on an annual basis, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to plug up the drains. Roof gutters are easily overlooked but can produce millions of mosquitoes each season.
- Turning over plastic wading pools when not in use. A wading pool becomes a mosquito producer if it is not used on a regular basis.
- Turning over wheelbarrows and do not allow water to stagnate in bird baths. Both provide breeding habitat for domestic mosquitoes. Change water in bird baths and wading pools on a weekly basis.
- Aerating ornamental pools or stocking them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate.
- Cleaning and chlorinating swimming pools that are not being used. A swimming pool that is left untended by a family that goes on vacation for a month can produce enough mosquitoes to result in neighborhood-wide complaints. Be aware that mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on swimming pool covers.
- Using landscaping to eliminate standing water that collects on your property. Mosquitoes can develop in any puddle that lasts more than seven to ten days during the summer.
A brochure on West Nile Virus prevention can be viewed on the Meriden Health Department’s website, www.meridenhealth.com. Copies are also
available at City Hall and the Meriden Health Department or at the health department in .
