Latest Tests Show No Trace Of Virus

By Denise Lavoie

Associated Press

STAMFORD — No new cases of the West Nile-like strain of the encephalitis virus have been found in the latest tests on mosquitoes and birds in Connecticut, state environmental officials said Tuesday.

The virus was detected in mosquitoes collected from a Stamford park on July 11. Tests on a crow found in a Stamford yard on July 23 – about a mile from where the mosquitoes were found – also turned up positive for the virus.

In the most recent round of testing, 10,253 mosquitoes were tested from 43 sites across the state. All came out negative.

As of Monday, 148 birds had tested negative and results on another 127 birds were pending. The only positive result came from the bird found in Stamford.

Theodore G. Andreadis, chief entomologist for the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said Tuesday he expects the state will get additional positive test results for West Nile in birds and mosquitoes through the summer.

He said the risk to humans is relatively low, but urged residents to take steps to protect themselves.

Last year, when the virus first surfaced in the region, it killed seven people and sickened 62 others in New York. It killed hundreds of birds in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. No human cases have been reported this year.

The virus is most dangerous for children under 5, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. But most people who contract it experience flu-like symptoms and never realize they have been exposed to the virus.

Encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, has many different causes. So far this year, 13 cases of encephalitis have been reported in Connecticut. No evidence of West Nile infection has been found in 12 of those cases; test results are pending on one case.

The state sprayed pesticide last week in sections of Stamford, Darien, and New Canaan after the infected mosquitoes were found.

Environmental officials have repeatedly urged people to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds by removing standing water collected in gutters, flower pots, old tires, and other items around their homes.

“Hopefully, with the measures being taken – larviciding and adulticiding [spraying pesticide] – hopefully that will prevent this virus from amplifying too much,” Mr Andreadis said.

Mosquitoes have been trapped weekly at 73 sites around the state since June 1, then tested for both West Nile and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.