Taking proactive measures to keep mosquitoes at bay. State environmental officials say they’ll be spraying in eastern Connecticut to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses. That includes Eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE.
When it’s warm, wet and humid, mosquitoes are sure to be found.
“Itching. Nuisance,” Tom Matoaz, of Avon, said.
It's a nuisance parents watching soccer practice at Fisher Meadows in Avon know all too well.
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“It makes me nervous, you know. It makes you nervous,” Haley Sargent, of Avon, said.
It’s peak mosquito season in Connecticut, which means a higher risk for mosquito-borne diseases.
Several bugs in a handful of towns have already tested positive for West Nile virus and EEE. That’s why the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will be spraying for mosquitoes Thursday evening inside Pachaug State Forest.
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Hikers in the area say it’s the right move.
“Oh, they're doing a good thing,” Mark Hannon, of Voluntown, said.
DEEP said no human cases of EEE have been detected so far this season in Connecticut, but there’s an elevated risk in the eastern part of the state where mosquitoes were found with the disease.
DEEP said that’s why spraying is a proactive measure to prevent any spread.
“I think that is definitely welcome,” Sargent said.
She’s making sure her children get protection from the bugs before soccer practice.
“We always use bug spray any time in the evening. We come out here, we’ll put it on before the kids are out,” Sargent said.
Others taking precautionary steps at home.
“At our house, we use like a spray. Not a professional, like I do it myself. It’s like a Home Deport brand,” Matoaz said.
Experts say most people bitten by an infected mosquito never get sick but for the few who do, the virus can be very serious, even deadly. That’s why DEEP is telling people to try to limit time outside between dusk and dawn.
