Mosquitoes Test Positive for EEE & West Nile
Mosquitos carrying the Easter Equine Encephalitis (EEE) have been found in Connecticut.
Not only do they leave bright red, itchy bumps, there’s now another reason to avoid mosquitoes like never before. State health officials say they’ve trapped at least eight mosquitoes carrying the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus in the last month.
“The concern we have with EEE is it’s a very rare disease, but unfortunately has a high mortality rate that approaches 30% in confirmed cases,” said Dr. Theodore Andreadis, Chief Medical Entomologist.
Researchers say the rainy weather in June and July was nirvana for the virus carrying critters.
“EEE is transmitted by one species of mosquito that does well when we have high water tables and that’s what we have now,” said Andreadis.
Triple E has been confirmed in five Connecticut towns: Hampton, Old Lyme, Willington, Madison and on Chittenden Road in Killingworth. Residents on that street say they aren’t too surprised.
“They’re probably all over, they just happened to find them here,” said Bob Gammons of Killingworth.
Although there have been 24 human cases of triple E in the New England area and eight fatalities in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, Connecticut has never had a single confirmed case of the disease.
There is some good news in all this though. The numbers show an encouraging trend when it comes to the other mosquito-transmitted disease called West Nile. In 2008, trappers found 191 mosquitoes with the virus. So far this year, they’ve only found 13.
Health officials are urging people to use plenty of insect repellent this Labor Day weekend.
Posted Wednesday, Sep 2, 2009 - 10:28 PM EST
Top Stories
