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August 17, 2007

No signs in RI of skeeters with West Nile or Triple-E

We've cleared the muggiest month's halfway mark, and no mosquitoes in Rhode Island have tested positive for West Nile Virus or Eastern Equine Encephalitus.

Test results from 35 mosquito pools -- from 32 traps around the state -- during the week of Aug. 6 came back negative for West Nile and Triple-E, the state Department of Environmental Management said today. Results from two samples that were pending from the week of July 30 also came baclk negative.

But the DEM advises that people take precautions because "west Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitus are both firmly established throughout the state."

That means eliminating mosquito breeding grounds, namely standing water. Get rid od old tires, buckest, junk and debris, and clean gutters so they drain properly. Maintain swimming pools.

One cup of standing water can produce hundreds of mosquitoes, the DEM said.

The DEM notes that Triple-E has been detected in mosquito samples just over the line in Seekonk and Rehoboth.

For more information, go to www.dem.ri.gov and click on "public health updates" or go to www.health.ri.gov and click on "E" for Triple-E or "W" for West Nile.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 3:01 PM | Permalink

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