NYC begins fight against the Zika virus
Aerial spraying began in Brooklyn last week
The city has begun spraying larvicide in a number of neighborhoods across the city in an effort to control mosquito-borne illnesses, including West Nile Virus and a potential new threat this year, the Zika virus.
Aerial spraying took place over the marshes and wetlands of Marine Park and Fresh Creek in Brooklyn last week. Parts of Staten Island, Queens and the Bronx were also sprayed.
West Nile symptoms include high fever, muscle pains and a headache that worsens. A small number of infected people (less than 1 percent) develop serious infections of the brain or spinal cord.
Zika is spread by an infected mosquito or after sexual intercourse with an infected person. It can cause mild symptoms, but has also been linked to the much more serious Guillain–Barré syndrome.