PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — State environmental officials have not found West Nile virus in the latest round of mosquito tests in Rhode Island.
The state Department of Environmental Management said Monday that the remaining 168 mosquito samples from 32 traps set statewide on Aug. 1 tested negative for both West Nile and eastern equine encephalitis.
Last week, DEM reported that a sample of mosquitoes collected Aug. 1 in Chapman Swamp in Westerly tested positive for EEE. It’s the only confirmed finding of EEE in Rhode Island this year.
West Nile virus was detected in mosquitoes in Rhode Island two weeks ago for the first time this year. The virus has also been detected in mosquito samples trapped in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The agency traps mosquitoes weekly and tests them at the state health laboratories.
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