NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

The Connecticut Department of Public Health announced that two Connecticut residents have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) infection. These are the first two cases of WNV-associated illness identified in Connecticut this season.

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The patients are between 70-79 years of age, residents of West Haven and Bridgeport, and became ill during the third week of August with meningitis and meningoencephalitis. Both are hospitalized and recovering.

“The identification of two Connecticut residents with West Nile virus-associated illness requiring hospitalization emphasizes the potential seriousness of this infection,” said Dr. Deidre S. Gifford, senior advisor to the Governor for Health and Human Services and acting commissioner of the Department of Public Health. “As we approach the cooler weather and the holiday weekend, it is important to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Using insect repellent, covering bare skin, and avoiding being outdoors during the hours of dusk and dawn are effective ways to help keep you from being bitten by mosquitoes.”

West Nile virus has been detected in Connecticut every year since 1999 and is the most prevalent mosquito-borne disease in the US. Last year, CAES detected WNV in 143 mosquito samples from 23 towns, and eight human cases were reported. Before 2021, 166 cases of West Nile virus were reported in Connecticut, of which four were fatal.