West Nile Virus Cases Found In Long Island City

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — October should mean the end of West Nile virus season in New York City, but the disease was detected in Long Island City as recently as last week during what has been an increasingly active mosquito season.

On Wednesday, Oct. 20 the city found mosquitos that tested positive for the virus in the Long Island City ZIP code of 11101, as well as in Middle Village, Queens.

All told, the city has detected West Nile virus in 1,117 groups of mosquitos across the five boroughs this year; nearly three times as many as were found last year. The number of New Yorkers who've tested positive for the virus has also roughly tripled between 2020 and 2021 from seven human cases to a whopping 20, records show.

Queens led the city in the greatest number of positive cases — in both insects, and people — this year: nearly 400 groups of mosquitos, and nine people, tested positive for West Nile virus in the World's Borough in 2021.

Although this year saw a record-breaking number of West Nile virus-positive groups of mosquitos, experts say this is a trend we can expect to continue seeing amid increasingly severe, climate change-induced weather changes

The city has been attempting to reduce citywide mosquito activity since mid-May by sending low-flying helicopters and trucks to insect hot-spots and dousing the areas in larvicide — including in northwest Queens.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), however, pressed top EPA officials last month to help the city's health department find non-chemical measures to kill the mosquitos, like encouraging people to get rid of standing water, which is where the insects breed.

In its past messaging, the DOH has said that the best way to control mosquitoes at home is to replace containers of standing water — including vases and pet bowls— weekly, to prevent breeding.

Other options include wearing long sleeves and pants, and using air-conditioning or window and door screens as well as insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, ir3535, lemon eucalyptus oil, para-menthane-diol or 2-undecanone.

Find out more about West Nile Virus here.