West Nile sample closes Bay Shore park overnight

Gardiner County Park in Bay Shore will close from dusk to dawn until further notice after West Nile virus was detected in a mosquito sample there, Suffolk County officials have announced.

Visitors will not be allowed into the 231-acre park from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily, and all activities during those hours will be suspended. Mosquitoes are most likely to bite during the evening hours.

"Closing the park is a precautionary measure," Suffolk Health Commissioner Dr. James Tomarken said in a release.

Gardiner is the second public park in the county to limit visitors because of West Nile virus. Officials decided to take the same action on Aug. 19 at Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown.

The first human case of West Nile virus on Long Island was found last month in Suffolk County. The person, described only as a Huntington resident, recovered.

Humans contract West Nile through the bite of an infected mosquito. The virus is potentially fatal, particularly in the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

Symptoms include headache, fever, body aches and a skin rash. Health officials advise residents to protect themselves by using insect repellent; minimizing outdoor activities between dusk and dawn; and by wearing long sleeves and pants when outdoors.

Also, 65 mosquito samples and 24 birds collected in Suffolk have tested positive for West Nile. The samples were found in Farmingville, Copiague, Northport, Huntington, Ronkonkoma, Smithtown, Bridgehampton, Rocky Point, Port Jefferson Station, Deer Park and Melville.