Office of Medical Communications

Sean Diehl, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics

(JULY 14, 2023) Sean Diehl, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, spoke to WCAX-TV about the risk of an uptick in mosquito-borne illnesses given the amount of standing water left behind by the recent severe flooding in central Vermont. Standing water is a prime breeding ground for mosquitoes, which can transmit the West Nile virus, Zika, and eastern equine encephalitis, among other diseases. “I would probably expect numbers to remain steady or possibly a small uptick, although it would be hard to directly attribute that to a particular flood event,” Diehl said.

Other illnesses that can be transmitted in standing water include things like E.coli and giardia as well as some viruses like norovirus that can be made worse by untreated sewage discharges.

Sean Diehl, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics

(JULY 14, 2023) Sean Diehl, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, spoke to WCAX-TV about the risk of an uptick in mosquito-borne illnesses given the amount of standing water left behind by the recent severe flooding in central Vermont. Standing water is a prime breeding ground for mosquitoes, which can transmit the West Nile virus, Zika, and eastern equine encephalitis, among other diseases. “I would probably expect numbers to remain steady or possibly a small uptick, although it would be hard to directly attribute that to a particular flood event,” Diehl said.

Other illnesses that can be transmitted in standing water include things like E.coli and giardia as well as some viruses like norovirus that can be made worse by untreated sewage discharges.