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STAMFORD, Conn. — The city of Stamford has ordered a second round of larvicide spraying because of the high percentage of mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile virus this summer.
Usually only one round of spraying is done each summer, Director of Health Anne Fountain said. However, she said a second one was necessary to control the mosquito population in the city.
The city’s Board of Finance unanimously approved an appropriation of $12,395 for the second round of spraying at its meeting Thursday night.
The spraying poses no danger to the rest of the environment, Fountain said.
Despite cooler temperatures, people are still at risk of contracting the virus this year, the state Department of Public Health said. The virus has been found in people, animals and mosquitoes in all 48 continental states, the department said, describing it as an “outbreak.”
So far this year, 12 people in the state have tested positive for West Nile virus, which includes three from Stamford, and seven in Fairfield County, the state’s website said. Stamford had the most human cases; Greenwich was the only other municipality with multiple cases, the website said.
From 2000 to 2011, Stamford had 11 reported human cases of the virus, more than any other city, according to state statistics. During the same time period, 47 of 89 total cases were found in Fairfield County.
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