Suffolk Mosquito Tests Positive For Deadly EEE Virus: Health Dept.

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A mosquito sample on Long Island has tested positive for the deadly Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus in the Oakdale area, the Suffolk County Department of Health announced Friday.

The positive Eastern Equine Encephalitis sample is of the Culiseta melanura species and was collected in Oakdale's Connetquot River State Park Preserve on August 28, officials said.

The DOH says that the disease, also known as "EEE," is an "extremely rare but serious and often fatal infection that causes encephalitis or inflammation of the brain." Like West Nile Virus, EEE is spread by the bite of a mosquito infected with the virus.

According to the New York State Department of Health, 11 people in New York State have been diagnosed with EEE since 1971 and seven of them died.

People over the age of 50 and younger than the age of 15 are at greatest risk for developing severe disease when infected with EEEV.

It can also infect a wide range of animals including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, although no animals infected with EEE have been reported in Suffolk County this year.
n 2018, the United States Department of Agriculture reported 107 cases of EEE in horses from 13 states, including three from upstate New York, the DOH said.

“We don’t want people to be alarmed but rather informed,” said Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County Health Commissioner. “We will be treating the park for mosquitoes this weekend, and we encourage residents to continue to take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.”

Eighteen new mosquito samples also tested positive for West Nile Virus after numerous positive cases of the virus presented in humans, birds and mosquitos over the summer.

Samples of Culex Pipiens -Restuans were collected on August 27 from Northport (1), Dix Hills(2), Lindenhurst (2), West Babylon (1) and Cold Spring Harbor (1). Culex Salinarius samples were collected from Bay Shore (1) Sayville (1) as well.

Officials said samples collected on August 28 were Culex Pipiens -Restuans from Fire Island (1), Watch Hill (1), Rocky Point (1), Port Jeff Sta. (1), Bay Shore (1), Oakdale(1) Setauket (2).

One Coquillettidia perturbans was collected from Nesconset, according to officials.

To date this season, Suffolk County has reported 215 mosquito samples and five birds that have tested positive for West Nile virus, according to health officials.

In addition, seven people in Suffolk County have contracted West Nile virus and are recovering.

The virus was first detected in birds and mosquito samples in Suffolk County in 1999 and again each year since.

According to the Department of Health, the number of mosquito samples testing positive for West Nile virus in Suffolk County varies each year, ranging from 8 positive mosquito samples in 2004 with no reported human cases of West Nile virus to 295 positive mosquito samples in 2010 with 25 human cases reported.

In 2023, Suffolk County reported 99 positive mosquito samples and 5 human cases; in 2022, 96 positive mosquito samples and 11 human cases, and in 2021, 111 positive mosquito samples and 8 human cases.

Dr. Pigott offered the following tips to avoid mosquito bites:

• Minimize outdoor activities between dusk and dawn.
• Wear shoes and socks, long pants and long-sleeved shirts when mosquitoes are active.
• Use mosquito repellent, following label directions carefully.
• Make sure all windows and doors have screens, and that all screens are in good repair.
• Keep mosquitoes from laying eggs inside and outside of your home.
• Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out containers that hold water, such as vases, pet water bowls, flowerpot saucers, discarded tires, buckets, pool covers, birdbaths, trash cans and rain barrels.

Dead birds may indicate the presence of West Nile virus in the area. To report dead birds, call the Bureau of Public Health Protection at 631-852-5999 from 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Residents are encouraged to take a photograph of any bird in question.

To report mosquito problems or stagnant pools of water, call the Department of Public Works’ Vector Control Division at 631-852-4270.