Community Corner

Is West Nile Virus Coming to Hartford County?

Connecticut saw its most severe West Nile virus season in 2012, but fortunately, state officials have not yet found evidence of the virus in local mosquitoes as of June 12.

By Jayme Kunze

The West Nile virus season is ramping up in Connecticut, but so far, state officials say that the news has been good.

Dr. Theodore Andreadis, the chief medical entomologist of the state's mosquito trapping and testing program, said that as of June 12,  no signs of the West Nile virus have turned up at the 91 testing locations spread across the state.

"The weather, with lots of heavy rain, is keeping the mosquito population low," Andreadis explained. "A lot of mosquitoes develop in storm drains and catch basins, and the heavy rain is flushing them out."

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The all-clear is a welcome sign after the 2012 West Nile season, the worst ever in Connecticut.

"Last year was the worst year we ever experienced," Andreadis said. "The distribution of the virus was as widespread as we've seen it, and we had 21 human cases, the largest number ever."

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A total of 110 Connecticut residents have been reported as infected with the virus since 2000, Andreadis said. Three people have died of the disease in that time span.

During an average spring and summer, about 10 to 11 Connecticut residents will experience a West Nile infection severe enough for medical treatment, Andreadis said. He explained that wet springs followed by dry heat waves in the summer create a "perfect storm" for the virus.

Andreadis explained that, since 2000, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has been conducting weekly sweeps in the spring and summer to search for evidence of the virus in local mosquitoes.

If the station staff finds evidence of the virus during their checks, they immediately step up the frequency of the tests and notify local officials in the affected zone.

For the latest information on the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station's mosquito test results, visit the station's website.

West Nile Virus in Hartford County in 2012

To give residents a sense of West Nile’s prevalence in the Greater Hartford area, Patch has pulled together county-level 2012 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last year, Hartford County had two reported cases of West Nile.

The Cases and Incidence Rates

You can see how counties across the state compare by using the interactive map above, which shows the number of West Nile cases in humans and the infection rate. West Nile – named after the district in Uganda where the virus was first discovered – spread to New York City in 1999, and has been migrating across the United States ever since.  Last year was the deadliest year so far for West Nile in the United States, with more than 5,600 "confirmed and probable" cases, and at least 286 related deaths.

Local predictions for 2013 are very difficult to make. But nationally, "the number of humans with West Nile virus disease continues to rise in the United States," said Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases.

No Vaccine, Little Reporting, But a High Cost

While there is a West Nile vaccine for horses, there isn't one for humans, according to Purdue University Professor Richard Kuhn. Furthering the problem is the fact that cases of West Nile often go unreported.

“It's always under reported because if someone has a mild case they might not report it; they might think it’s a cold,” said Judith M. Lavelle, Health Communications Specialist at the CDC.

There is currently no comprehensive treatment for someone infected by West Nile, which makes severe diagnoses all the more frightening. Patch spoke to one Texas man who survived a West Nile infection in 2006, and has dedicated himself to educating the public about the potentially debilitating disease.

“I was told point blank that I would never walk again - to forget it,” said Donnie Manry, of the Bryan County Police Department in Texas. “It was devastating.”

Manry, who was 43 at the time, said that within five days of being stung, encephalitis and meningitis left him paralyzed. Through rehabilitation, Manry was able to regain control of his body again, and now uses a cane to walk.

From Birds to Bugs to Humans

West Nile has also been detected in bird populations, notably inCentral Michigan. “Certain types of birds serve as a reservoir for West Nile Virus,” Kuhn said. An infected bird can pass the virus along to an uninfected mosquito when bitten. That’s whyWisconsin has launched a hotline for people to report dead birds in the area.

Many states have begun testing mosquitoes for West Nile, withPennsylvaniaIllinois and California all reporting positive detection in certain counties. After the virus was detected in California, LA County began overnight aerial spraying to stop the spread. Residents are cautioned to remain indoors during the spraying.

Prevention and Symptoms

The CDC recommends using an EPA-certified mosquito repellant if you’re going to be outdoors, and lists some additional prevention tips on their website, including:

  • When weather permits, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants outdoors.

  • Place mosquito netting over infant carriers when you are outdoors.

  • At least once or twice a week, empty water from flower pots, pet food and water dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, and cans.

With the 2012 mosquito season was the highest on record, health officials are cautioning people to take immediate action if you believe you’ve been infected. The CDC website lists varying degrees of symptoms, including:

  • Serious Symptoms in a Few People. About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness, including high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, and paralysis.

  • Milder Symptoms in Some People. Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back.

  • No Symptoms in Most People. Approximately 80 percent of people  infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.


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