Community Corner

Mosquito Carrying West Nile Found in Woods Hole

A mosquito carrying West Nile Virus has been detected in Falmouth, the Cape Cod Times reported Thursday evening.

The disease-carrying mosquito was detected in a sample collected July 23 in the area of Woods Hole Road, according to a joint press release from the Falmouth Board of Health and the Cape Cod Mosquito Project

This is the first West-Nile mosquito to be discovered in Falmouth this year. No mosquitos carrying the disease were detected in 2012.

Long periods of warm weather can help accelerate the maturation of the type of mosquitoes known for spreading West Nile virus, said Kevin Cranston, director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. 

Rainfall also might play a part in the problem, as these mosquitoes thrive in pools of stagnant water.

Most people who contract West Nile virus won’t even know they have it. About 80 percent of cases are “very mild” and may not even involve a trip to the doctor’s office, Cranston said.

About 20 percent of people affected will have the typical viral symptoms—headache, sore throat, muscle aches, a mild or even high fever. But even these symptoms can be hard to diagnose as being caused by West Nile virus, Cranston said.

However, a small group of people who contact the virus—less than 1 percent—will experience more serious neurological symptoms and can end up with meningitis or encephalitis, Cranston said.

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