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Biggest Outbreak of West Nile Virus Since 1999

Photo Courtesy of Flickr CC by Dr Relling

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There's been a dramatic increase of West Nile Virus cases nationwide in just one week. The number of people who tested positive has increased to more than 1100. The federal Centers for Disease Control says its the largest outbreak ever seen in the country with at least forty-one deaths.

Ted Andreadis is the chief medical entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.  Speaking on WNPR's Where We Live, he says there have been two human cases of West Nile Virus so far in the state.

He says there are fifty-one species of mosquitoes in Connecticut but only six of them are capable of transmitting West Nile Virus to humans. One is called the culex pipiens.

"It will develop in just about any body of water that has high organic content. And we find very large populations in our urban and suburban communities, our storm drains and catch basins are major production sites for this type of mosquito. 

"Generally wherever we have high populations of this mosquito especially in our densely populated communities, that's where we typically find the virus."

Andreadis says effects of global warming has intensified the impact of West Nile Virus.

"We're seeing earlier emergence of the virus in higher levels resulting in more human cases. That may be exactly what's going on in the country this year. We've had a tremendous outbreak in Texas, a severe number of human cases with at least twenty fatalities.  Going on in the South they've had extreme hot weather. Here in the Northeast we've had early heat waves, we had early amplification of the virus. We detected it earlier this year than we ever have before."

Since it peaked early, The CT Agricultural Experiment Station is now waiting to see whether West Nile will extend beyond the season or begin to decline.

Mosquitoes positive with the virus have been found in forty Connecticut towns this year.

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.

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