Nine more mosquito samples test positive for the West Nile virus, Suffolk health officials say
Nine more mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile virus in Suffolk County, health officials said Friday. Credit: USGS
Nine mosquito samples collected in Suffolk County last week tested positive for the West Nile virus, Suffolk health officials said Friday.
The samples were taken on Aug. 16 and Aug. 17, said county Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott in a news release.
Three samples were collected in Lindenhurst, and a sample was collected in Copiague, Cold Spring Harbor, Dix Hills, West Babylon, and Sayville on Aug. 16, while one was collected in Nesconset on Aug. 17, officials said.
This year, 68 samples have tested positive, officials said.
“While there is no cause for alarm, we advise residents to cooperate with us in our efforts to reduce exposure to West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne diseases,” Pigott said in a statement.
West Nile virus can be transmitted to humans through mosquito bites and can potentially cause severe symptoms such as vision loss, muscle weakness and neurological problems, which in some people are permanent.
To avoid mosquito bites, residents and visitors should limit outdoor activity between dusk and dawn, wear shoes and socks, long pants and long-sleeved shirts when mosquitoes are active, Pigott said.
The growth of mosquitoes can be limited by eliminating outside containers holding water including pet bowls, buckets, trash cans and birdbaths — or at least empty them once a week and scrub them, Pigott said.
Call the county’s vector control division at 631-852-4270 to report mosquito problems or stagnant pools of water.
If you see a dead bird — a possible indication of the presence of the West Nile virus — take a photograph of the bird and call the Suffolk County Bureau of Public Health Protection at 631-852-5999 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
