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Local Warning Issued On Virus-Bearing Mosquitoes

BY KAAREN VALENTA

A public health alert was issued this week after bird-biting mosquitoes that

carried the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus were found in Newtown and

Ridgefield.

The infected bird-biting mosquitoes (Culiseta melanura) do not carry an

immediate health risk to humans, according to Newtown Health District Director

Mark A.R. Cooper. But they can precede the appearance of human-biting

mosquitoes that carry the dangerous virus, he said.

"The good news is that the number of mosquitoes are low," he said. "In the

summer, hundreds of mosquitoes are found in the traps. Because of the cooler

weather, about 12 were found in the traps and one or two of these were

positive for the virus."

"But finding bird-biting mosquitoes with EEE is a precursor to finding

people-biting mosquitoes with the virus," he said. "Not necessarily

immediately, but some time afterwards it converts to the other kind."

Mr Cooper said that if a bird infected by a bird-biting mosquito is bitten by

a human-biting mosquito, the virus then can be transferred to a mammal. But as

soon as the first hard frost comes this fall, the mosquitoes will be gone, he

said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection found human-biting mosquitoes

with the EEE virus in Cockaponset State Forest in Chester and was scheduled to

spray the ground in the forest with the insecticide Scurge on Thursday,

October 10. A DEP spokesperson said the insecticide is the least toxic

chemical available to kill mosquitoes. It will not harm wildlife or bees and

will degrade in four hours.

The DEP took the same action after EEE-infected mosquitoes were found near

Stonington on September 29.

The DEP and the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station said the

bird-biting mosquitoes were found in traps in a swamp off Key Rock Road in

Newtown and in Ridgefield in a trap in Great Swamp near the South

Street-Farmington Road area. They also were found in traps in Voluntown and

Chester. The mosquitoes were collected on October 6 and 7 with no more than 12

mosquitoes in a single trap.

EEE is a rare but serious disease. Most people who get bitten by a mosquito

carrying the EEE virus do not get infected or develop only a mild illness.

Symptoms of EEE, which can occur three to 10 days after been bitten by an

infected mosquito, include a high fever, stiff neck, headache and lethargy.

Encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, is the most serious symptom and occurs

in approximately 1 in 30 people infected with the EEE virus.

No confirmed causes of EEE have been found in Connecticut, but a Rhode Island

resident died of EEE this summer.

The public health alert recommended the following precautions be taken to

avoid being bitten by mosquitoes:

Avoid outdoor activities from one hour before to one hour after dawn and dusk.

If outdoors, wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and use mosquito repellent

that contains DEET. Follow the instructions on the label.

Cover up the arms and legs of children playing outdoors near swampy areas.

Cover babies' playpens or carriages with mosquito netting.

Do not camp overnight.

Residents also can take protective measures for their properties:

Don't let standing water collect in ditches, clogged gutters, old tires,

wheelbarrows, bird baths, used tires, flower pot dishes, hollow trees, and

wading pools. Any standing water should be drained.

Fix any holes in screens and make sure they are tightly attached to all doors

and windows.

A number of safe and effective mosquito breeding products are available at

local garden centers, nurseries and hardware stores.

"Finding EEE in multiple areas of the state is not surprising," said Arthur J.

Rocque, Jr., DEP commissioner. "When we began our trapping and testing program

last year, we used recent and historical information to identify habitats

where the EEE virus had been identified or was likely to occur and set up

traps to monitor any virus activity."

The state's Mosquito Management Program is a cooperative effort between the

DEP, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) and the Department

of Public Health. The DEP has a 24-hour information line, 860/424-4181, that

is updated weekly with the latest mosquito testing results.

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station posts the weekly test results

on the internet at www.state.ct.us/caes/. The state's mosquito contingency

plan and homeowner fact sheet are available at dep.state.caes, and a

health-based EEE fact sheet is available at state.ct.us/dph/.