32 mosquitoes collected in Suffolk test positive for West Nile virus

Thirty-two mosquitoes samples collected in Suffolk County earlier this month tested positive for West Nile virus, Suffolk County health officials said Friday.

The samples were taken Aug. 9 through Aug. 15, said Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott.

Five samples from West Babylon tested positive for the virus, while four samples collected in Lindenhurst and three samples each in Copiague and North Patchogue tested positive, Pigott said in a release. Two positive samples each were collected in West Islip, Stony Brook, Farmingville, Port Jefferson Station and Bay Shore, while one positive sample each was collected in Dix Hills, Nesconset, Holtsville, Selden, Islip, Brentwood and Rocky Point, he said.

In total, 57 mosquito samples and two birds have tested positive this season, he said.

West Nile virus is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites and can cause severe symptoms including muscle weakness, vision loss and neurological problems, which in some people are permanent.

People ages 50 and older or with compromised immune systems can get severely sick, while most people who contract the virus have mild or no symptoms, the Health Department said in a release.

Suffolk officials said residents can report mosquito problems or stagnant pools of water by calling the county's vector control division at 631-852-4270.

Anyone seeing a dead bird — which could indicate the presence of the West Nile virus — should take a photograph of the bird and call Suffolk's Bureau of Public Health Protection at 631-852-5999 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.