Connecticut Prepares for the Zika Virus

With seven people in Connecticut having contracted the Zika Virus, the Connecticut Department of Public Health has launched a new webpage called Zika Virus Statistics. This page will keep residents updated on the state’s local statistics as well as the Zika testing efforts.

The new site will track the number of patients that have tested for Zika and Flaviviruses, including Dengue and Chikungunya, as well as where the patients have traveled. It will also list the location of Zika cases in the counties.

Health officials said patients who test positive for a Flavivirus could have been exposed to Zika, but the test results were unable to distinguish between Zika and the other Flaviviruses.

The new site will be updated every Wednesday.

Also last week, state workers set up mosquito traps for the summer.  The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) will be responsible for trapping, identifying, and testing mosquitoes for encephalitis viruses. Results can be found on the CAES website.

In addition, Mosquito Squad has also set up a webpage to track the national news surrounding Zika. We will update this site frequently.

Source: WTNH Connecticut, Channel 12, www.ct.gov