Mosquito testing season underway, with Zika monitoring added
The seasonal mosquito trapping and testing program coordinated by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station began Tuesday, the state Mosquito Management Program announced.
The program monitors the types, numbers and locations of mosquitoes and tests them for the presence of viruses that can cause illness, including West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus.
In addition, mosquitoes will be tested for Zika virus.
The first test results will be available during the week of June 6.
“With regard to Zika virus, our overriding goal will be to prevent the establishment of the virus in the state, in the unlikely event that we detect Zika in local mosquito populations,” said Dr. Theodore Andreadis, director of the experiment station.
Dr. Raul Pino, state public health commissioner, reminded residents that the greatest threat of contracting Zika virus infections is during travel to infected areas, mainly in Central and South America and the Caribbean, and from sexual transmission from infected men to their partners.
“While we do not at this time anticipate much local mosquito transmission of Zika this season, we will be vigilantly monitoring our local mosquito populations and working with our municipal partners to engage communities and citizens in taking common sense steps to help reduce mosquito populations,” Pino said.
Zika commonly causes fever, rash, conjunctivitis or other mild symptoms and rarely a neurological illness (Guillain-Barré syndrome) among infected people.
It also can cause serious birth defects when a woman is infected during pregnancy.
The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) is the primary mosquito species involved in the Latin American epidemic and does not occur in Connecticut.
Another mosquito species, the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), also may transmit Zika virus.
The Asian tiger mosquito has a more temperate distribution in the United States and has been identified in lower Fairfield and New Haven counties.
The experiment station will be monitoring the distribution and abundance of Aedes albopictus within the state and all mosquitoes collected will be screened for the presence of Zika virus in addition to West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus.
For more information on West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus, visit www.ct.gov/mosquito.
For more information on Zika virus, visit www.ct.gov/zika.
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