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Two Flushing, N.Y., Neighborhoods Sprayed for Mosquitoes

Posted on: Wednesday, 17 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

Aug. 17--Because the West Nile virus was found in mosquitoes in the Queensboro Hill and Murray Hill neighborhoods of Flushing, the city will spray the area tonight.

City Health Department spokesman Eric Riley said that the disease has not been detected in anyone living in the area.

Last month, two Manhattan men were the first in the city to be diagnosed with the virus this year. Neither required hospitalization.

Yesterday and Monday, the Health Department sprayed areas of the Rockaways as part of a preemptive effort.

Tonight's pesticide spraying from trucks will take place in an area between Utopia Parkway to the east; Sanford Avenue, Parsons Boulevard and 45th Avenue to the north; Jewel Avenue to the south, and College Point Boulevard and the Van Wyck Expressway to the west.

Kissena Park and Golf Course and Flushing Cemetery, Saint Mary's Cemetery, Mount Hebron Cemetery and Cedar Grove Cemetery also will be sprayed.

If weather does not permit, spraying will be delayed until tomorrow evening or the next possible night.

People should take care to minimize exposure to pesticides. Anyone who experiences adverse reactions should seek medical care or call the New York City Poison Control Center at (212) POISONS -- (212) 764-7667.

Persons with asthma or other respiratory conditions are encouraged to stay inside during spraying because there is a possibility that spraying could worsen these conditions, the city Health Department said.

The department also offered these suggestions:

--Wash skin and clothing exposed to pesticides with soap and water.

--Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables with water before eating.

--Food sold or prepared outdoors in the spraying area should be covered with a nonporous material, such as plastic sheeting, during the spraying.

--Air conditioners may be kept on. But if you wish to reduce the possibility of exposure to pesticides, set the air conditioner vent to the closed position, or choose the "exhaust" function.

--If outdoor equipment and toys are exposed to pesticides, they may be washed with soap and water to reduce the possibility of exposure.

West Nile first showed up in 1999 in northern Queens. The mosquito-borne virus killed seven people -- four of them from Queens -- and sickened 62 in the New York area that year.

In 2000, 21 cases were reported, including two deaths in the New York City area, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control.

In 2001, there were 66 cases in humans and nine deaths.

By 2002, the disease spread nationwide with 4,156 human cases of WNV disease reported, including 284 deaths.

In 2003, there were 9,862 human cases of WNV disease reported, including 264 deaths. Last year, there were 2,539 cases and 100 deaths.

So far this year, there have been 187 cases and three deaths, two in California and one in Missouri.

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Source: Daily News

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