BOSTON---For the first time this summer, a mosquito pool in Jamaica Plain has tested positive for
West Nile Virus, the Boston Public Health Commission reported today.
Mosquitoes infected with the disease were previously found in West Roxbury and the Boston Harbor
Islands. Last month, a red-tailed hawk in Jamaica Plain tested positive for WNV, and last week a blue
jay in Charlestown.
There have been no confirmed human cases.
The city has been putting insecticide in catch basins designed to reduce large mosquito populations,
said Dr. Anita Barry, director of the Communicable Disease Control Division at the Commission. She
said WNV poses very low risk to humans, but even that low risk can be reduced if people take a few
simple steps to protect themselves and their families.
Those steps include using insect repellant when outdoors, especially from dusk to dawn when
mosquitoes are more likely to be biting and, when possible, wearing clothing with long sleeves and
pants, she said. “People should also make sure that their window and door screens are in good repair
so they aren’t providing a home for mosquitoes to breed,’’ Dr. Barry said.
To prevent mosquitoes from breeding, she advises turning over unused flower pots, buckets,
wheelbarrows, and garbage cans; removing leaves and other debris that can clog gutters and trap
water; disposing of or covering old tires; and covering swimming pools and kiddie pools when not in use.
For more information, call the Boston Public Health Commission at 617-534-5611, or visit
www.bphc.org.
