NYC Confirms 1st West Nile Case as Positive Mosquito Pools Top 1,000
Updated
Updated · Patch · Aug 19
NYC Confirms 1st West Nile Case as Positive Mosquito Pools Top 1,000
3 articles · Updated · Patch · Aug 19
Summary
One New Yorker has contracted West Nile virus this summer, marking the city's first human case as infected mosquitoes have been found in all five boroughs.
More than 1,000 mosquito pools have tested positive citywide since June 16—nearly twice as many as at this point last year—prompting intensified surveillance and control efforts.
Eight targeted spraying operations have been carried out since July in affected neighborhoods; officials say they typically cut adult mosquito populations by about 70% and positive pools by more than 85%.
West Nile activity usually peaks in August and September, and about 1 in 150 infections becomes a serious neurological illness; people 65 and older face roughly triple the risk of neurological disease.