Two confirmed cases of West Nile

FAIRFIELD — There have been two confirmed cases of West Nile Virus in Connecticut this season, one of whom is a Fairfield resident, the state Department of Public Health said on Friday.

And while two is a small number, scientists who study the mosquito-borne disease say it’s early to see human cases; both of the infected individuals were stricken in late July.

Both patients — the other one lives in Newington — are between 60 and 79 years old and were hospitalized with encephalitis around the last week of July. They are recovering, but one is still in the hospital. Neither patient traveled out of state before becoming sick.

Fairfield acting Director of Health Amy Lehaney said Friday that the town has no immediate plans to begin spraying.

“We’re not planning on

changing our game plan, but we’re telling people to avoid going outside at dusk when the mosquitoes are active, and also to wear the appropriate clothing and to spray with repellants such as those that contain DEET,” she said. “Also, look out for pools of water in your yard where (mosquitoes) can breed.”

Fairfield First Selectman Mike Tetreau said the warnings are going out to anyone who will listen.

“Our Recreation Department is telling people who play sports and their coaches to cover up and use repellent,” he said, “because a lot of them play around dusk, the most dangerous time of the day.”

The town is also urging homeowners to keep their window and door screens in good repair and to call the Department of Health if they see neighbors ignoring standing water in their yards. That number is 203256-3020.

“Change the bird bath water frequently,” Tetreau said.

West Nile is transmitted by the species Culex pipiens, better known as the common house mosquito. And according to Philip Armstrong, a scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, it’s a pest that likes to hang out with humans.

“It probably arrived from Europe on the sailing ships of the first explorers and settlers,” he said. “They love to breed in storm drains.”

He added that horses have it better than humans when it comes to West Nile. For starters, there haven’t been any equine cases in the state so far this year.

“That might be because they have a vaccine for the disease,” he said. “We don’t.”

Between 2000 and 2009, there were 69 confirmed human cases of West Nile in the state and three deaths, according to state health officials. From 2010 to 2017, there were 65 cases and no deaths. Statistically in Connecticut, the three worst weeks for the disease are the last two weeks of August and the first week of September.

Since 2000, the worst year for the virus was 2012, with 21 cases.

Mosquitoes — there are about 3,500 known species — have been around for more than 75 million years. They're known to feed on just about any animal with blood, although species specialize on one host or another. Even the humanfeeding ones, like C. pipiens, seem to prefer some humans over others.

Fish aren’t immune either — particularly species that spend time exposed to the air, like mud-skippers and catfish.

Contributed photo Culex pipiens, the common house mosquito.