EAST HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - The West Nile virus has been detected in Connecticut for the first time this season.

The state’s Mosquito Management Program announced Thursday that three mosquitoes trapped in East Haven tested positive for the potentially deadly virus.

Philip Armstrong, a medical entomologist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, says West Nile is typically detected in mosquitoes from late-June to mid-July so this year’s detection is later than usual. He says further buildup of the virus from now through September is expected.

The West Nile virus has been detected in Connecticut every summer for the past 30 years.

There were 23 human cases of West Nile last year, with one fatality.

Authorities encourage residents to cover skin and use insect repellent, especially at dusk and dawn, to protect against the virus.

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