Mosquito spraying set for parts of Nassau

Nassau County will be ground-spraying for mosquitoes Tuesday night because of a "persistent presence of West Nile virus activity," specifically in areas near the Meadowbrook Parkway and Merrick Road, health officials said.

Current data calls for spraying primarily in areas west of the Meadowbrook and south of Merrick Road, in Baldwin, Baldwin Harbor, Barnum Island, Freeport, Harbor Isle, Island Park, Oceanside and Rockville Centre, officials said. Spraying will run from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., weather permitting. The alternate spray dates are Oct. 3 and 4.

The county Monday also sprayed areas east of the Meadowbrook, in portions of Merrick, Bellmore, Wantagh, Seaford, Massapequa, Massapequa Park and East Massapequa.

Last Wednesday, Nassau County officials said a man from Oyster Bay Town was the first Long Island death this year related to West Nile infection.

Other than his gender and town, health officials gave few details. They did say the man, who was older than 70, was hospitalized for the illness and had an underlying medical condition.

Health Department spokeswoman Mary Ellen Laurain said target spray areas are determined by trap data, standing water and human data, or the number of people infected by the virus.

Nassau has reported 11 people infected this year, including the one death, and 29 mosquito pools have tested positive for the virus, Laurain said.

There have been no West Nile deaths this year in Suffolk County. However, the first lab-confirmed case occurred in a Huntington resident last month. That person, an adult younger than 55, had fever, chills, body aches and swollen lymph nodes lasting about five days. The person was not hospitalized and has fully recovered, Suffolk Health department spokeswoman Grace Kelly-McGovern said.

For West Nile data in Nassau, call 888-844-8657 or go to www.nassaucountyny.gov

/agencies/health/index.html.

For medical questions in Suffolk call 631-853-3055, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

With Delthia Ricks