Mosquitoes with West Nile found in Boston

By Stephen Smith, Globe staff

For the first time this summer, mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus have been discovered in Boston, public health authorities announced today.

The disease-carrying insects were found in West Roxbury; last week, a red-tailed hawk infected with the virus was discovered in Jamaica Plain.

No human cases of West Nile have been reported in Massachusetts this year; last year, six people fell ill with the disease.

Boston authorities have already started putting insecticide in catch basins to reduce the number of mosquitoes.

Earlier this month, mosquitoes carrying West Nile were discovered in Brookline and Worcester.

To avoid being bitten, public health authorities recommend avoid being outside from dusk to dawn, peak time for mosquito activity. If outdoor activity is necessary during those hours, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks can provide protection. Repellants can help, too, including DEET, permethrin, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. DEET should not be used on babies younger than 2 months and should be used in concentrations of 30 percent or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under the age of 3 years.

Draining standing water from gutters, unused flower pots, and wading pools can deprive mosquitoes of necessary breeding grounds. And having secure window screens can prevent the bugs from getting inside homes.

Most people infected with West Nile never experience symptoms. However, about one in five who contract the virus, usually spread by mosquitoes, develop symptoms that include a fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and vomiting; some of them also experience swollen lymph glands or rash on the chest, stomach, and back.

In the rarest cases, affecting about one out of every 150 people infected with the virus, severe symptoms develop, including high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis. Those symptoms can last several weeks and may lead to permanent neurological damage and death.