Tomorrow: Southern Brooklyn To Be Sprayed For West Nile-Carrying Mosquitoes
It’s peak mosquito season, and this summer, many of the little buggers are carrying the potentially deadly West Nile virus, health officials warned this week.
Neighbors are advised to stay indoors tomorrow night as pesticide trucks spray down southern Brooklyn neighborhoods where the disease-carrying mosquitoes are concentrated.
A Brooklyn man was hospitalized Sunday in the first reported case of viral meningitis of 2015, and mosquitoes carrying the virus have been found in at least 10 of our borough’s zip codes — including Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, and parts of Midwood — reports the Brooklyn Eagle.
“This first case of West Nile virus disease in New York City provides a vital reminder to protect ourselves against mosquito bites,” Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement.
The Department of Health (DOH) has released a pesticide spraying schedule for Southern Brooklyn. On Wednesday, August 19, beginning at 8pm until 6:30am the following morning, pesticide trucks will spray the following neighborhoods:
- Bath Beach
- Bay Ridge
- Bensonhurst
- Dyker Heights
- Gravesend
- Fort Hamilton
- New Utrecht
- Georgetown
- Mill Basin
- Flatlands
- East Flatbush
- Flatbush
- Marine Park
- Midwood
- Mill Island
In southwestern Brooklyn, the area to be sprayed is bordered by 86th Street, 21st Avenue, Bay Ridge Parkway, 15th Avenue and 64th Street; Fort Hamilton Parkway and 83rd Street to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the south; Coney Island Creek and Shell Road to the east.
On the southeast side, the spraying area is bordered by Avenue K to the north; Ocean Avenue, Avenue X, and Nostrand Avenue to the west; the Belt Parkway to the south; and Belt Parkway and Paerdegat Basin to the east.
The Health Department uses a low concentration of Anvil® 10+10, a synthetic pesticide, to kill off mosquitoes. Though the DOH says the chemical in small doses poses no significant health risks to humans, health officials recommend people stay indoors, close air conditioner vents, and remove children’s toys, equipment, and clothes from outdoor areas during spraying times. Anything that is exposed to pesticides should be washed with soap and water.
Mosquitoes pick up West Nile from birds carrying the disease. Symptoms of the virus include sudden high fever, muscle pains, and headaches. To prevent against bites, residents are advised to wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors, and to spray themselves with bug spray. Only a small amount of bug spray should be used on children.
Residents are also urged to overturn containers that collect standing water, such as buckets or pools, where mosquitoes are likely to breed. Neighbors can report standing water by calling 311 or visiting nyc.gov.