Potential For West Nile Virus Surges In Bergen County

The potential to get infected with West Nile Virus in Bergen County could be greater than in any other county in New Jersey, according to the state Department of Health.

Of the 245 mosquito pools tested for West Nile Virus in 2017, 125 tested positive for the disease, the most in New Jersey, numbers from the DOH show.

Gloucester County had the next highest number of positives with 103. Union County was next with 100.

The 861 pools that tested positive was 93 percent higher than the total number of positive pools reported in 2016, according to the DOH.

A baby born with low-birth weight and severe microcephaly — birth defects caused by the Zika virus — was delivered at Hackensack University Medical Center in May 2016. The defects was a result of the mother contracting the Zika virus internationally. She was visiting the United States when she gave birth.

Bergen County also ranks high for Lyme disease. In 2015, the most recent year numbers are available, there were 275 cases reported, the seventh highest among New Jersey's 21 counties. Morris County had the most cases reported with 572.

Mary Elizabeth Carter of Rutherford has been fighting for her life for months. She was diagnosed with four strains of advanced Lyme disease. More than $19,000 has been donated on a GoFundMe page to help her fight for her life.

Bergen officials have been proactive in preventing Lyme disease and other mosquito-transmitted illnesses. Schools of Gambusia fish, which eat mosquito larvae, have been released throughout the county in recent years.

More than 640,000 cases involving mosquito, tick, and flea bites were reported across the United States 2004 through 2016, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

A representative with the Bergen County Department of Health Services could not be reached for comment.

Nine new germs spread by mosquitoes and ticks – including one dangerous disease that's appeared in New Jersey – were discovered or introduced into the United States during this time, according to a CDC release.

On top of that, a rare, potentially deadly tick-borne disease infected four people in New Jersey last year and health officials say it could be worse than Lyme disease. Four such cases appeared in 2017.

Related: Bergen Woman's Body Ravaged By Lyme Disease
Related: Dangerous Tick-Borne Disease Spreads To NJ, CDC Warns
Related: Mosquito-Eating Fish Part Of Bergen County Control Strategy
Related: Baby With Zika Virus Birth Defects Delivered At North Jersey Hospital Tuesday

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