HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio)_ The Connecticut Department of Public Health announces that two Connecticut residents have tested positive for West Nile virus.
The patients are between 70-79 years of age and became ill during the third week of August with meningitis and meningoencephalitis.
Both are hospitalized and recovering. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of antibodies to WNV. The patients are residents of West Haven and Bridgeport.
"The identification of two Connecticut residents with West Nile virus-associated illness requiring hospitalization emphasizes the potential seriousness of this infection," said Dr. Deidre S. Gifford, senior advisor to the Governor for Health and Human Services, and acting commissioner of the Department of Public Health.
Using insect repellent, covering bare skin, and avoiding being outdoors during the hours of dusk and dawn are effective ways to help keep you from being bitten by mosquitoes, according to CT DPH.
Most people (eight out of 10) infected with WNV do not develop symptoms.
About one in five people who are infected develop West Nile fever, an illness which includes a fever and other symptoms such as body aches, joint pain, headache, or a rash. About one out of 150 infected people develop a severe illness affecting the central nervous system. About one out of 10 cases of severe illness are fatal. People over the age of 60 are at highest risk of serious illness.
