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2025-08-01@12:22pm–#Stratford CT — #cttraffic

Stratford, Connecticut (July 29, 2025) – The Stratford Health Department announced that the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station reported mosquitos trapped at Beaver Dam Road last week have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV). The isolates were from the Culex salinarius, a mammal biting species of mosquitoes.

“It is usually around this time of year where the state reports that they have found pools of mosquitos testing positive for West Nile Virus in our area, and we expect to see more positive pools into late summer. I urge all residents to take the necessary and simple steps to prevent exposure and bites,” said Andrea Boissevain, Director of Health.

Stratford’s Environmental Conservation Superintendent Kelly Kerrigan noted that “the Town is scheduled for its annual catch basin treatment using a biological larvicide late this week.” The treatment attacks larval mosquitos so they never grow into adults and lasts several weeks. Kerrigan noted that subsequent treatments will occur as necessary. She added that “the best prevention to reduce your risk of catching the disease is to keep mosquitoes out of your home by ensuring your window and door screens are tight and secure.”

Every year the Health and Conservation Departments join forces to get the word out through press releases and social media to provide residents a list of precautions everyone can take, highlighting that people’s best defense is to get rid of standing water in flower pots, bird baths, trash cans and their lids, anything that collects water, effectively removing the perfect breeding ground for mosquitos. Both Boissevain and Kerrigan added that “the best prevention to reduce your risk of catching the disease is to keep mosquitoes out of your home by ensuring your window and door screens are tight and secure.”

Additional precautions to avoid mosquito bites and to decrease mosquito activity around your home include:

Tip over items in your recycling bin that can collect water.
Clean and chlorinate swimming pools that are not being used, including pool covers.
Clear clogged gutters.
Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers.
For commercial properties with flat roofs, check for standing water to reduce mosquito-breeding sites.
Minimize time spent outdoors around dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
Be sure the door and windows screens are tight fighting and in good repair.
Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when outdoors for long periods of time, or when mosquitoes are most active. Clothing should be light colored and made tightly woven materials that keep mosquitoes away from the skin.
Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure and to protect small babies when outdoors.
Consider using DEET-containing mosquito repellent, as directed, when outdoors.

Most people who are infected with West Nile Virus and become ill will have a mild illness that may include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and vomiting or skin rash. Rarely, people develop a severe form of illness that can include neck stiffness, disorientation, loss of consciousness, tremors, muscle weakness and paralysis. Older adults are more likely to have severe health consequences if they become infected with West Nile Virus.

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station also has information for the public on mosquito surveillance control and mosquito-borne diseases. This information can be accessed on their website http://www.caes.state.ct.us

For more information on West Nile Virus and mosquito control, please visit the Stratford Health Department’s website at www.stratfordct.gov/health.