Another Boston pool has tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) this week. According to the Boston Public Health Commission, tests performed on Sept. 9 confirmed a West Nile positive mosquito pool for the first time in Brighton this summer. Other mosquito pools that tested positive this summer include Mattapan, West Roxbury, South Boston, Roxbury, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain and Roslindale. The current alert level for WNV in Boston is moderate.

There have been no recorded human cases of mosquito-borne illnesses in Boston this year, but a Middlesex man tested positive for WNV earlier in the summer.

BPHC encourages residents to do what they can to reduce the risk of mosquito bites.

Preventative steps include:

1. Using insect repellant.

2. Wearing long sleeves and pants outdoors when possible.

3. Making sure window and door screens are in good repair, in order to keep mosquitoes out of the home.

Additionally, residents should do what they can to stop mosquitoes from breeding. These are the steps the BPHC suggests:

1. Turn over unused flower pots, buckets, wheelbarrows, and garbage cans.

2. Remove leaves and other debris that can clog gutters and trap water.

3. Dispose of or cover old tires.

4. Cover swimming pools when not in use.

The City of Boston is partnering with the Suffolk County Mosquito Control Project to reduce the mosquito population. They plan to do so by placing larvicide in catch basins and wetlands throughout Boston, and conducted aerosol spraying in certain areas of the city.