NEW YORK—The first human case of West Nile Virus this season was confirmed on July 26 by the city’s Health Department. Previously, on July 10, the department announced the virus was detected in mosquitoes in the neighborhoods of New Dorp Beach and Bull’s Head on Staten Island. Officials have been spraying pesticides extensively throughout Staten Island to prevent the larvae from growing.
A Staten Island man older than 50 was hospitalized recently with viral meningitis and released.
“This first human case of West Nile virus this season provides a vital reminder to protect ourselves against mosquito bites,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, the city’s health commissioner, in a news release.
West Nile Virus was first discovered in the United Stated in New York City; since then, 252 New Yorkers have been diagnosed with it.
Experts recommend making sure there is no standing water outside around your home. Even water in something as small as a discarded soda bottle cap can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Wearing loose, light-colored clothing, deters mosquitoes from biting. A natural method of soaking crushed garlic in water for a few days, filtering the garlic out, and then spraying around the window frames also deters the pests.
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