5 Human Cases of West Nile Virus Reported in Connecticut

Five human cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Connecticut so far this year, including four in Bridgeport and one in Shelton, according to the Department of Public Health.

All five patients are between the ages of 30 and 80 and are recovering. They fell ill between the third week of August and the second week of September, the DPH said. Four were hospitalized.

Dr. Philip Armstrong, medical entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said the number of West Nile-infected mosquitoes in Bridgeport have "declined significantly" over the past three weeks, but residents should still take precautions when spending time outside.

"There is still a risk of new human infections in Bridgeport and several other Connecticut towns where infected mosquitoes have been repeatedly identified, especially along the coast from New Haven to Greenwich," Armstrong said in a statement Thursday.

West Nile virus has been identified in 23 Connecticut communities so far this year, including Bridgeport, Cheshire, Chester, Darien, East Haven, Glastonbury, Greenwich, Groton, Guilford, Haddam, Hartford, Milford, New Britain, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, Stonington, Stratford, Waterford, West Haven, Westport, Wethersfield and Wilton.

Six people were infected with West Nile virus last year. Five were hospitalized.

More information about the virus is available on the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program website.

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