7 Mosquito Samples Positive For West Nile Virus In Suffolk: County

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Seven mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile virus, Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott said Friday.

They included Culex pipiens-restuans samples collected on Sept. 4 from Bay Shore, Northport, Selden, and Watch Hill on Fire Island, as well as Culex salinarius samples collected on Aug. 28 and Sept. 4 from Watch Hill, according to Pigott.

This summer season 222 mosquito samples and five birds have tested positive for West Nile virus. One mosquito sample has tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus.

Eleven people have been confirmed to have been infected with West Nile virus and are recovering, according to Pigott.

The latest person to test positive was a Brookhaven Town resident on Aug. 7.

West Nile virus, which is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito, was first detected in birds and mosquito samples in Suffolk County in 1999 and again each year after that. The first human case of West Nile virus was confirmed in 2001, and since then, nearly 150 people been confirmed to have contracted West Nile virus, and nine deaths were attributed to the virus.

“As the summer winds down, we are seeing a decrease in the numbers of mosquitoes entering our traps, however, there may be mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus that are still biting,” Pigott said. “It is not time to let your guard down until at least the middle of October, as cooler weather limits mosquito activity.”