Jul 22, 2008 12:04 pm US/Eastern
More Mosquitoes, Earlier West Nile Detected
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
There are more mosquitoes buzzing around Massachusetts and New Hampshire this summer, and health officials are warning people to be cautious of diseases the bugs can carry.
Both the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services issued advisories Tuesday about West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, two potentially dangerous illnesses transmitted by infected mosquitoes.
In Massachusetts, mosquito pools in Brookline, Worcester and Millbury have tested positive for West Nile Virus this month. The infected mosquitoes were found nearly a month earlier than the first infected bugs last year. The state says there is also a larger than normal mosquito population.
"Rain patterns this year have provided conditions that have led to much higher populations of the type of mosquitoes that usually carry West Nile virus," said Dr. Alfred DeMaria of the Mass. DPH.
"WNV will be with us for the remainder of the summer and into the fall, so it is important to protect yourself from mosquito bites by using clothing to cover up or applying bug spray. Getting rid of any accumulated water around your yard will also help keep more mosquitoes from breeding."
Last year there were six human cases of West Nile Virus in Massachusetts. There were no human cases of EEE, though infected mosquitoes were found.
No mosquito pools in New Hampshire have tested positive for West Nile Virus or EEE this year. Last year in the Granite State three people were diagnosed with EEE; no human cases of West Nile Virus were reported.
"Unfortunately, it is a part of the new normal in New England that we need to use repellent in the summer," said New Hampshire DHHS Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas. "It should be routine for everyone. We do not want anyone else to become ill with either of these diseases."
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