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STAMFORD, Conn. — The first Connecticut mosquito to test positive for West Nile virus was trapped at Stamford’s Cove Island Park, said Louis A. Magnarelli, director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
“We’re heading into the right time of the year,” Magnarelli said Friday. Residents should be alert and cautious of the threat posed by mosquitoes, he said.
From 2000 through 2011, 89 human cases of West Nile virus have been reported in the state, with 11 in Stamford, more than any other town during that period, the state Department of Public Health reported. Of the 89 cases, three were fatal, and all three involved individuals ages 81 to 89, the report said.
No human cases have been reported yet for this year.
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has 91 trap sites in 73 towns, the state Department of Public Health website said. The trapping sites were chosen based on habitat, types of mosquitoes and rates of infection of West Nile virus and other diseases, the website said.
Magnarelli suggests limiting time outdoors at night and having screens on doors and windows to minimize the likelihood of being bitten by a mosquito.
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