Hartford officials are urging city residents to take precautions when spending time outside after mosquitoes found at Keney Park tested positive for West Nile Virus.
According to the mayor's office, mosquitoes trapped Aug. 12 at the park on Tower Avenue are carrying the disease.
A statement from Mayor Pedro Segarra's office says the risk of contracting West Nile Virus is generally rare but increases during periods of warmer weather.
City residents are urged to take the following precautions when spending time outdoors:
- Use bug spray containing DEEP, Picaridin, lemon of eucalyptus oil
- Wear shoes, socks and long, tightly-woven clothing, especially at dawn and dusk
- Remove standing water around your home
- Drill holes in containers kept outdoors, such as those used for recycling
- Clean clogged roof gutters
- Store water-collecting objects upside down (such as wading pools and wheelbarrows)
- Regularly change water in bird baths
- Clean and chlorinate swimming pools and cover pools not in use
- Make sure door and window screens are tight fitting
- Use mosquito netting when sleeping outside
Mosquitoes in Stratford and East Haven have also tested positive for the virus.
More information on the West Nile Virus is available through the Hartford Department of Health and Human Services, the state Department of Public Health Epidemiology Program, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, state Department of Environmental Protection and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
