Conn. Stops West Nile Testing For Winter

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut's public health commissioner says researchers have stopped testing for the West Nile virus for the season.

Dr. J. Robert Galvin says the risk of mosquito-borne diseases has dropped considerably because of the cool weather. Mosquito trapping and testing starts again next June.

The West Nile virus was found this year in 29 sites in 24 Connecticut towns and cities.

Galvin says 10 Connecticut residents were diagnosed with West Nile between June and mid-September, but all recovered from the illness. No human cases were reported in 2009.

Nationwide, federal health officails say 832 people had West Nile this year, and 34 patients died from the virus or related illness.

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