West Nile mosquito spraying set for Brooklyn and Queens amid virus concerns

September 9, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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BROOKLYN/QUEENS — IN RESPONSE TO RISING WEST NILE VIRUS CASES, THE CITY GOVERNMENT will begin mosquito spraying in Brooklyn and Queens on Sept. 10 and 12. Targeted areas include parts of Rockaway and Williamsburg. The city’s Department of Health is focusing on high-risk zones to prevent further transmission, with no significant health risks expected from the pesticides used. According to NYC Health Department figures released as of Monday, Sept. 9, 292 cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Brooklyn; 10 cases citywide of neuroinvasive disease — encephalitis, meningitis or acute flaccid paralysis (muscle weakness) — one of which was reported in Brooklyn. There were also four cases of blood donors who contracted West Nile Virus but who were asymptomatic at the time of infection; two were in Brooklyn.

Efforts to curb the spread continue as mosquito season extends into October. Affected Brooklyn neighborhoods, Bushwick, East Williamsburg and Cypress Hills.

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