8.25.2000 00:32
DEM: Mosquitoes test negative for viruses
By ZACHARY BLOCK
Projo.com Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- The latest series of mosquito tests by the state Department of Environmental Management continued to show no sign of the West Nile and Eastern equine encephalitis viruses, the DEM announced today.
Mosquitoes from 59 pools and 27 traps around the state all tested negative for the viruses, a DEM spokeswoman said.
One mosquito, a so-called "bird biter'' because it does not bite humans, which was trapped in Westerly, did test positive for the Highland J virus, the DEM said.
The West Nile virus was detected in a dead crow found in Warwick earlier in the month, the first time the virus has been confirmed in the state. The state responded by spraying insecticide in a two-mile radius of where the bird was found.
Last year, when scientists first detected the virus in the United States, seven people died from encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain caused by West Nile. All of the deaths were in the New York metropolitan area.
This year there have been three confirmed cases, all in New York and none of them fatal. Most people who contract the virus feel flu-like effects and do recover.
The DEM says residents should avoid mosquito bites by staying indoors at night when possible and not allowing water to stagnate. Sitting water is often a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Find out more about the West Nile virus, from recent local news to information about the disease to official tracking reports, at:
http://projo.com/specials/westnile/
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