Known as a vector for the West Nile virus, this Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito has landed on a human finger and is preparing to bite the affected person, 2003. Image courtesy CDC/James Gathany.
Health officials on Long Island said that 12 recent mosquito samples from the area tested positive for West Nile virus.
The samples, collected on July 2 and July 3, were from nine towns, including one each from Melville, Manorville, West Babylon, Lindenhurst, Holbrook, North Patchogue and Farmingville, according to Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott. Two samples from Northport and three from Holtsville also tested positive for the virus.
West Nile virus was first detected in the county in 1999, and has been found each year since then. It gets transmitted from to humans via a bite from an infected mosquito.
In 2023, there were 99 positive samples found, according to county officials, and five human cases. Most people who get the virus experience little to no symptoms, but some can develop severe symptoms like high fever, headache, neck stiffness, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.
Individuals over 50 or with compromised immune systems can be especially susceptible to the virus.
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