Spraying Against West Nile in NYC

N E W   Y O R K, July 20 -- New York City residents experienced their first round of spraying last night and this morning after two dead crows infected with the virus were found earlier this week.

Spraying occurred in two spots on Staten Island, one of the city’s boroughs, last night and early this morning.

Meanwhile, test results for West Nile came up negative for a 71-year-old South Carolina man who died while visiting Staten Island, according to city health officials. He had come to the local hospital with symptoms of encephalitis, but the man also had multiple illnesses, the officials said.

To date, no human cases of West Nile encephalitis have been detected this year, but hundreds of people have been tested.

NYC Suburbs Affected

Earlier this week, the virus was detected in mosquitoes in Westchester and Suffolk counties in New York, where more spraying is scheduled for later this week. Dead birds carrying the virus also were found in Rockland County, another target for spraying.

Health Department spokesman John Signor said the finding of theWest Nile virus in mosquitoes was based on preliminary DNAevidence, but confirmation was likely enough “to put it in a pressrelease and announce it, get the word out.”

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The Suffolk Department of Health Services immediately announced aninsecticide-spraying program, targeting thevirus.

Rockland County, where President and Hillary Rodham Clinton have a home, plans to begin spraying in Clarkston, where seven crows and a blue jay have been found infected.

A total of 19 birds from the suburbs in New York and NewJersey had earlier been found infected.

The Staten Island crows were the first sign of West Nile thisyear in New York City, which was the epicenter of the outbreak lastyear. Seven people died of complications from the virus: five from the city,one from Suffolk and one from Westchester. Extensive measures,ranging from pesticide spraying by helicopter to droppinglarvicides in catch basins, were undertaken throughout the region.