Mosquito Pools In Boston Test Positive For West Nile Virus
BOSTON (CBS) – Mosquito pools in Boston have tested positive for West Nile Virus for the first time this summer.
The two positive pools were found in West Roxbury. There have been no confirmed human cases of the virus in Boston this year.
Dr. Anita Barry, director of the Infectious Disease Bureau at the Public Health Commission says it is not unexpected to find mosquitoes with the virus this time of year.
Although the risk to humans is low, Dr. Barry urges people to take steps to protect themselves and their families.
Those steps include using insect repellent when outdoors, especially from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are more likely to be biting.
The city recently has begun putting larvicide in catch basins in Boston neighborhoods, a process designed to reduce the number of mosquitoes.
West Nile Virus, on rare occasions can be deadly if contracted.
For more information on West Nile Virus, call the Boston Public Health Commission at 617-534-5611 or visit www.bphc.org.
