FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                              Connecticut Department of Public Health

August 17, 2012                                                         Contact: William Gerrish

                                                                                    (860) 509-7270

                                                                                    Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

                                                                                    Contact: Dr. Theodore Andreadis

                                                                                    (203) 974-8510

Hartford – The State Mosquito Management Program today announced that a Stamford resident tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV) infection. This is the second case of human illness associated with WNV infection reported in Connecticut this year.

The person, between 60-69 years of age, had onset of illness during the third week of July and was hospitalized the following week with fever and severe muscle weakness related to the WNV infection. The person remains hospitalized but is improving. Infected mosquitoes have been repeatedly trapped in Stamford and surrounding communities from June 27 through August 8.

“DPH urges everyone to take the risk of mosquito-transmitted illnesses seriously and take precautions to prevent mosquito bites,” said Dr. Randall Nelson, State Public Health Veterinarian with the Department of Public Health. “The mosquito trapping and testing program has been very effective in providing an early warning of the threat of infections in people.”

The state announced the first human case in a New Haven resident yesterday. Last year, there were nine reported cases of WNV infection in Connecticut residents. So far this season, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) has identified WNV positive mosquitoes in 40 Connecticut towns.

For information on West Nile virus activity across the nation, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile.

For information on West Nile virus and what you can do to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, visit the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program Web site at www.ct.gov/mosquito.

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