PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — West Nile virus has been found in a mosquito sample collected in Rhode Island for the first time this summer.
State environmental officials said Thursday that a mosquito trapped July 29 in Cranston tested positive for the virus.
No mosquito samples this year have tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis, another mosquito-borne disease.
State officials say the finding was not unexpected, given that West Nile has been found in multiple samples collected in neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts, indicating that the virus has established seasonal activity in the area.
The virus is expected to become more prevalent as the season progresses.
