West Nile mosquitoes spread across Brooklyn
Use repellent and drain standing water, health officials say
West Nile virus has been detected in infected mosquitoes in Brooklyn and is spreading rapidly, according to data provided by the New York City Department of Health (DOH).
On August 9, the latest date for which information was reported, West Nile was detected in Dyker Heights, Broadway Junction, Gravesend, Georgetown, Farragut, Flatbush, Greenwood Heights and Canarsie. (Zip codes include: 11203, 11207, 11214, 11228, 11232, 11234, 11236)
While mosquitoes carrying West Nile had been detected in Staten Island and Queens earlier this summer, they were discovered in Brooklyn for the first time on August 2, in the neighborhood of Dyker Heights.
While most people infected with West Nile suffer no long-term damage, about 20 percent come down with West Nile Fever or more severe “neuroinvasive” effects ranging from headache or neck stiffness to convulsions, inflammation of the brain or death.