West Nile Virus-Positive Mosquito Pools Found in Roslindale & West Roxbury

Two more mosquito pools tested positive for the West Nile Virus this week with confirmed positive mosquito pools in Roslindale and West Roxbury. 

Positive mosquitos have previously been found in Jamaica Plain and Hyde Park within the last month, according to the Boston Public Health Commission.

There have been no recorded human cases of mosquito-borne illnesses in Boston this year.

The Boston Public Health Commission provided steps and suggestions to avoid getting bit or having mosquito pools form. Suggestions such as using insect repellant when outdoors, especially from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are more likely to be out. Also, wearing long sleeved pants and shirts will help.

Mosquito-proof your home by making sure windows and door screens are in good condition to prevent mosquitoes from getting into the house.
 

To prevent mosquitoes from breeding turn over unused flower pots, buckets, wheelbarrows, and garbage cans - to prevent pools of water from forming. Also, remove leaves and other debris clogging gutters and trap water, and also dispose of or cover old tires. 

WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of a mosquito infected with the virus, but it poses very low risk to most people. 
 
The City of Boston partnered with the Suffolk County Mosquito Control Project to place larvicide in catch basins and wetlands around the city, a process designed to reduce the mosquito population. Targeted, truck-mounted aerosol spraying is also occurring and has occurred in the Parkway area. 

For more information on mosquito-borne illness, call the Boston Public Health Commission at 617-534-5611 or visit www.bphc.org/mbi.