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8.9.2001
Mosquitoes test negative for West Nile
The latest batch of mosquitoes tested by the state have neither West Nile virus nor Eastern equine encephalitis.
The state Department of Environmental Management reported yesterday that none of the mosquitoes caught in 25 traps set around the state on July 23 were infected.
Meanwhile, however, West Nile continues to take its toll on birds.
Two dead crows collected from Narrow Lane in North Kingstown and Middle Road in Portsmouth on Tuesday, and a blue jay found on Prince Street in Coventry on Aug. 2, tested positive for West Nile virus.
The state is setting additional mosquito traps in those three towns.
Sickness in birds is not a reliable indicator of risk to humans; birds are much more vulnerable to the virus than people are, and many species of mosquitoes that bite birds don't bite humans.
Nevertheless, to play it safe, the state is urging residents to increase their efforts to protect themselves from mosquitoes by eliminating standing water where mosquitoes breed and avoiding mosquito bites.
West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne illness that causes mild flu-like symptoms in most people but can lead to a deadly brain inflammation in the elderly or frail people.
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