NEW CITY – The first two pools of mosquitoes to test for West Nile virus in Rockland County have been confirmed by the State Department of Health.
The infected mosquitoes were collected from traps in the town of Orangeburg and Clarkstown during the week of June 21 as part of the county’s ongoing mosquito surveillance efforts.
No human cases have been reported this season. The last human case reported in Rockland County was in 2018.
County officials said most mosquitoes do not test positive for disease-causing viruses. However, a bite from a West Nile virus-infected mosquito can cause serious illness, and in some cases, death.
Although a person’s chances of getting sick are small, those 50 and older are at the highest risk for serious illness. The virus can cause serious complications including neurological diseases and can also cause a milder flu-like illness, including fever, headache and body aches, nausea, and occasionally a skin rash and swollen lymph glands.
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. The eggs hatch into larvae that develop in the water for seven to 10 days before emerging as adult mosquitoes that fly and bite.
Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said county larval control activities will continue through the summer.
At home, residents are urged to remove any standing water in kids’ toys, buckets, wading pools, canoes, and wheelbarrows.
