Mosquitoes with West Nile found in Hyde Park

By Neil Munshi, Globe correspondent

More mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus, this time in Hyde Park, according to the Boston Public Health Commission.

While no human cases have been confirmed, this is the seventh case of animal infection in Boston. Infected mosquitoes were found in Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, and the Boston Harbor Islands. Two weeks ago, a blue jay tested positive for the virus in Charlestown, and last month, a red-tailed hawk in Jamaica Plain.

Last year, six people became ill in Massachusetts, but there were no deaths associated with the virus.

To avoid being bitten, public health authorities recommend people 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.