West Nile virus was identified for the first time this summer in mosquito batches across several communities in Westchester, including the city of Rye.
The positive batches were the first out of 45 collected by the county Health Department from eight locations that were then sent to the state Department of Health for testing. The virus-carrying mosquitoes were found in Croton, Mount Vernon, White Plains, Yonkers, and Rye, county officials announced on July 30.
County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler said the positive batches are common for this time of the year.
“So I’m not surprised by any of this,” she told The Record.
It is not unusual for tests to routinely come back positive for West Nile as the county utilizes the same public locations — which are prone to mosquitoes — each year.
The county does not disclose where they set up testing pools. But Amler confirmed they don’t test in each of Westchester’s 43 municipalities.
When positive mosquito batches are identified, the county Health Department inspects the surrounding areas and if needed, will treat nearby catch basins holding standing water, health officials said.
Officials urge residents to get rid of any standing water on their private property, which are notorious breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
“The most important thing people can do is really take a look at their yard,” Amler said. “Mosquitoes can even grow in something as small as … the plastic lid of a Coke bottle. If there’s water in it, mosquitoes can breed in it.”
She added that it’s still early for any human cases this season, which typically aren’t seen until late August or early September. Last year five people in Westchester were infected with West Nile virus — the highest number in the county over the last five years.
In New Jersey, three cases in humans have already been reported this year — some of the earliest reports ever of the disease, according to the Daily News. Similarly, health officials in the Garden State said cases aren’t typically reported until between mid-August and mid-September.
Mosquitoes in NYC have also tested positive for the virus earlier than usual this year, beginning in July.
What that means for West Nile in Westchester this season remains to be seen.
“If we continue to have a lot of rain and very warm … temperatures like we’re seeing now. I mean, it’s possible that we might see an earlier case, but there’s no way to predict it,” Amler said.
Symptoms of West Nile include fever, headache, body aches and joint pain, but can be more serious for people 60 and older, and those with underlying medical conditions.
The virus is typically spread from infected mosquitoes to humans, but can also be spread from human to human, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.