WHITE PLAINS – This season’s first batch of mosquitoes to
test positive for the West Nile virus in Westchester County have been
located in Yonkers. That area has been inspected by the county health
department and nearby catch basins with standing water have been treated
to protect against further mosquito breeding.
In 2016, the Westchester County Health Department has submitted 243 pools
of mosquitoes to the state health department for testing with just this
one coming back positive. A total of 195 positive mosquito pools have
been located statewide this year.
In 2015, 17 positive mosquito batches were found in Westchester with the
first positive batch collected around this time. The county has been safely
applying larvacide since 2001 to suppress the mosquito population.
Symptoms of the virus usually occur from three to 14 days following the
bite and include high fever, headache, confusion, muscle aches and weakness,
seizure, or paralysis. Most people who are infected will not show any
symptoms, but persons over 50 are at the highest risk for a severe disease.
Health officials note that West Nile virus is not to be confused with
Zika. To date, no mosquitoes in New York have tested positive for Zika
and there have been no locally-acquired cases.
