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Politics & Government

First Human Case of West Nile Virus in Greenwich This Year

The resident, aged 70 to 79, became ill in mid-August with fever, headache and some neurological symptoms, according to the Greenwich Health Department. It is reportedly the first human case of WNV in town so far this year.

An elderly Greenwich resident has reportedly contracted — the town's of the mosquito-borne illness this season.

The resident, aged 70 to 79, became ill in mid-August with fever, headache and some neurological symptoms, according to the .  The individual, whose gender was not provided, was hospitalized.

This is the so far this year. Last week the State Mosquito Management Program, a collaborative program run by the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), and the Department of Public Health (DPH), announced that , had contracted encephalitis, which is closely related to WNV. Both were aged 50 to 59 and were hospitalized. The Stamford resident reportedly became ill during the first week of August, while the Bridgeport resident became ill during the second week of July, according to the state.

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Earlier this month the state announced that a resident of New Haven, aged 30 to 39, had contracted WNV in August. In addition another Stamford resident, aged 60 to 69, contracted the disease in July.

Last year, there were nine reported cases of WNV infection in Connecticut. This year cases are showing up early, according to the state, because conditions have been ideal for mosquitoes due to the heavy spring rains.

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“This case of human illness demonstrates that WNV can cause serious illness and whenever the virus is present, there is a potential for human infection," Greenwich Director of Health Caroline C. Baisley said in a press release. "There will continue to be infected mosquitoes until the first frost so persons, particularly those older than 50 years of age, must take personal protection precautions to avoid mosquito bites when outdoors at any time of day, especially during twilight hours."

Meanwhile the Town continues to use larvicide dunks in public and private roadway catch basins every four to six weeks in order to control the mosquito population. The Town, however, is warning residents to be vigilant in protecting themselves.

“Although the town’s larvicide program treats catch basins, the general public must be vigilant in eliminating standing water on their own properties and protecting themselves from biting mosquitoes at all times," Greenwich Director of Environmental Services Michael S. Long said. "It is important to recognize that the highest risk of exposure to West Nile Virus infected mosquitoes is during the months of August and September. Of the nine human cases diagnosed with West Nile Virus in 2011, one was a Greenwich resident.”

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