DPH: First human case of West Nile virus detected in state

The state Department of Public Health announced its first human case of West Nile virus of the season on Friday.

The patient, identified as a New Haven County man in his 70s, became ill the second week of August. He was later admitted to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with West Nile virus encephalitis, DPH said in a news release Friday.

The man was discharged from the hospital last week and is recovering in a rehabilitation facility.

“The identification of the first case of West Nile virus-associated illness emphasizes the potential seriousness of this infection,” DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani said in a statement. “As we approach the cooler weather and the holiday weekend, it still is important to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Juthani advised residents to use insect repellent, cover their bare skin and avoid being outdoors during dusk and dawn — when mosquitoes are most active — to avoid being bitten.

Philip Armstrong, a medical entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus are most abundant in urban and suburban areas.

As of Friday, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has detected mosquitoes with West Nile virus in 23 municipalities. These include Branford, Bridgeport, Cornwall, Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, Hartford, Ledyard, Meriden, Milford, New Canaan, New Haven, Newington, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Wallingford, Waterbury, Waterford, West Haven, Westport, Wilton and Woodstock.

“We anticipate continued risk for human infection until mosquito activity subsides in October,” Armstrong added.

West Nile virus has been detected in the state since 1999. It is the most prevalent mosquitoborne disease in the United States, according to the Department of Public Health.