West Nile found in more mosquito samples in Suffolk County, health officials said

West Nile virus was detected in eight more mosquito samples from Suffolk County, raising the total to 46, county health officials said.

The positive samples, collected Aug. 13-15 and tested by the state, came from: Lindenhurst (1), North Babylon (1), Nesconset (2), Bohemia (1), Farmingville (1), Huntington Station (1), and Selden (1), health officials reported.

“While there is no cause for alarm, we advise residents to cooperate with us in our efforts to reduce their exposure to the virus, which can be debilitating to humans,” Suffolk Health Commissioner James L. Tomarken said in a news release Wednesday.

No additional mosquito samples were found to carry the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus, or EEE, the county Department of Health Services said in a statement Wednesday. Suffolk health officials last week had announced the discovery of the potentially lethal EEE virus in three mosquito samples. 

Although three birds in Suffolk have tested positive for West Nile, no humans or horses have, officials said.

In contrast, West Nile has been reported in humans this year in New Jersey and 25 other states and the District of Columbia, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.

West Nile can cause a range of symptoms, from headaches to paralysis.

County health officials continue to ask residents to assist in controlling the mosquito population by eliminating standing water on their property.