Mosquito warning following floods

People travelling to New England in the US have been warned to protect themselves against the danger of mosquito-borne diseases.

The region has been hit by severe flooding over the past week but as the water levels begin to subside, there is now a growing concern over the potential for mosquito-borne diseases to take hold.

As news channel CBS points out, the large amount of water is creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes, just as the area heads into summer when the bugs are at the height of breeding.

Essex County has already deployed mosquito control experts to assess the danger and look at ways to limit the impact of the bugs.

However, many travellers to the region may not be anticipating these dangers and as such are unlikely to be prepared for the bugs.

"We probably are going to have a lot of mosquitoes early in the season," Walter Montgomery, the mosquito control director for Essex County, told CBS.

Mr Montgomery warned: "The mosquitoes that hatch from this rainfall will be troublesome till the middle of June, or perhaps as late as the end of June."