West Nile at all-time high in Suffolk

                                                   

Virus

West Nile virus is at an all-time high in Suffolk County, as an additional 48 mosquito samples tested positive Aug. 18-20 in areas that included Rocky Point.The latest positive samples bring Suffolk's total for the season up to 196, compared with just 17 positive samples last year, officials said, good for a record high for the county since 1999, when West Nile Virus was first discovered in New York. One Rocky Point sample tested positive.Four people have contracted West Nile virus this season in Suffolk, compared to just one case last season.'With the amount of virus present, you really don't want to get bitten.'Dr. Scott Campbell, Suffolk County Department of Health Services

Since West Nile virus hit New York over a decade ago, four people who contracted the virus have died; two people died in 2002, as well as two people in 2003, according to the county Department of Health Services.In early August, health officials announced an emergency public health threat in Suffolk, and two county parks were shut down at night due to risk of the virus.Scott Campbell, chief of the arthropod-borne-disease laboratory at the health department, said the reason for the high numbers of positive mosquito samples and cases of the virus is the combination of the recent wet spring and the current dry summer. He said limited water forces birds and mosquitoes -- who carry West Nile virus and give it to each other in a cyclical fashion -- to concentrate in the same areas. He said a wet spring and dry summer is the equation for a huge increase in West Nile virus.

"This year is the perfect storm when it comes to that combination," Dr. Campbell said.He said preventing mosquito bites and breeding is essential."With the amount of virus present, you really don't want to get bitten," he said.He suggested emptying water from containers, buckets, wheelbarrows and tires in yards, where mosquitoes are likely to breed.To combat the prevalence of mosquitoes, the county has sprayed pesticides in areas of Suffolk. Further mosquito spraying is planned for Southaven County Park and parts of Yaphank and Shirley.The county urges residents to avoid mosquito bites by using mosquito repellent when outdoors, putting up screens on all windows and doors and minimizing time spent outdoors between dusk and dawn.

In a press release, the health department advised residents to properly drain roof gutters, change water in birdbaths, and clean and chlorinate swimming pools to prevent mosquito breeding.West Nile virus is a disease that can attack the nervous system. Symptoms are sometimes nonexistent but can include fever, headache, disorientation, coma, muscle weakness and numbness. To report mosquito problems or stagnant pools of water, call the West Nile virus hotline in Suffolk County at 631-787-2200.

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