West Nile virus found in Springfield

The Vermont Department of Health announced Friday that West Nile virus is back this summer, as mosquitoes testing positive for the virus were trapped in Springfield last week.
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20150801/NEWS03/708019939

West Nile virus found in Springfield By | August 01,2015 Email Article Print Article SPRINGFIELD — The Vermont Department of Health announced Friday that West Nile virus is back this summer, as mosquitoes testing positive for the virus were trapped in Springfield last week. It is Vermont’s first positive test in 2015. The two different species of mosquitoes, culex and ochlerotatus, were caught on the evening of July 22, according to Dr. Patsy Kelso, state epidemiologist for infectious disease. Kelso said the culex mosquito feeds primarily on birds, while the ochlerotatus feeds on mammals such as humans, horses, dogs and deer. “There may be a little hot spot area in Springfield, with a bird population infected,” Kelso said. She said two of the three positive tests were for the bird-oriented mosquito, culex, and only one for ochlerotatus, the mammal-oriented mosquito. Kelso said Springfield and the rest of the state shouldn’t read too much into the fact that the positive mosquitoes were found in the southern Windsor County town. It likely means that West Nile virus is in mosquitoes all over the state, she said. “We’re not saying it’s not in a lot of other places,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that there isn’t more out there.” The virus-bearing mosquitoes will be present until the first killing frost, likely in most parts of Vermont in mid-October, she said. Kelso said that the Agency of Agriculture signs confidentiality agreements with the landowners where mosquito traps are set, and she didn’t know the location of the positive traps, or whether they were in close proximity to each other. She said 40 to 50 different species of mosquitoes are in the state. There have been no positive tests for Eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, the more serious of the two mosquito-borne illnesses. Two Vermonters died in 2012 from EEE. Springfield Health Officer Russell Thompson, also the town’s fire chief, said he was called by the Department of Health early Friday to inform him of the positive tests. But Thompson said he had no involvement with the testing, and didn’t know where the Agency of Agriculture set its traps. Kelso said that the best way to prevent contracting the illness is to avoid getting bit by mosquitoes. People should wear long sleeves and long pants in the evening or early morning, prime times for mosquito activity. She said people should also use a bug repellent. People should get rid of standing water, and drain areas where water can pool in rain gutters, wading pools and old tires. They should install or repair screens to keep mosquitoes out of the home. Kelso said West Nile virus is spread via the bite of an infected mosquito. The first human case of West Nile virus was reported in 2002, and the virus has since been detected in every county in the state. In all, three people in 2012 became ill with West Nile. Symptoms are usually mild, but can include a high fever. Kelso said late summer poses the greatest risk of human illness, and she urged people to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. The state began testing this year on June 4, and since then 1,581 batches of mosquitoes have been tested for West Nile and EEE. There have been no positive samples of EEE this year, she said.