West Nile Virus
Once again we have reached that time of the year when locally trapped mosquitoes are showing up with West Nile virus. The total number of mosquito pools found testing positive for WNV so far this year in Eastern Massachusetts is higher than we've seen in the past (158), although Cambridge still has not had a single WNV positive pools detected so far. As always, we preach the idea that risk from mosquitoes in the metropolitan area occurs on a regional scale rather than a municipal one. So the prevalence of WNV in Arlington, Boston, Brookline and Watertown tells us all we need to know: take basic precautions to protect yourself and your families through the end of the mosquito season (activity plummets below 50 F and ends with the first frost).
It's worth noting that mosquitoes are still breeding in the late summer and the generation being hatched now and in the next few weeks will have a much greater likelihood of carrying the virus, so it's important to keep eliminating standing water breeding areas (especially murky house gutters clogged with dead leaves and forgotten tires in the backyard).
For more regular updates please be sure to visit the Cambridge Public Health West Nile web page:
http://www.cambridgepublichealth.org/services/environmental-health/mosquito-borne-diseases/west-nile-virus.php
