Brookhaven Resident Recovering From West Nile: Officials

BROOKHAVEN, NY — A Brookhaven Town resident is now recovering from the West Nile Virus, Suffolk County Commissioner of Health Services Dr. Gregson Pigott announced Friday.

The resident, who is under the age of 50 and has underlying medical conditions, became ill in early September and is currently recovering at a rehabilitation facility, he said.

The virus, which was first detected in birds and mosquito samples in Suffolk in 1999 and again each year thereafter, is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito.

Most people infected with the virus will experience mild or no symptoms, but others can develop severe symptoms including high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis.

The commissioner offered the following tips to avoid mosquito bites:

• Minimize outdoor activities between dusk and dawn.
• Wear shoes and socks, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts when mosquitoes are active.
• Use mosquito repellent and follow label directions carefully.
• Make sure all windows and doors have screens, and that all screens are in good repair.
• Keep mosquitoes from laying eggs inside and outside of your home. Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out containers that hold water, such as vases, pet water bowls, flowerpot saucers, discarded tires, buckets, pool covers, birdbaths, trash cans, and rain barrels.

Download a copy of Suffolk's informational brochure, "Get the Buzz on Mosquito Protection," available in Dead birds can indicate the presence of the virus in the area.

To report them, call the Bureau of Public Health Protection at 631-852-5999 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Residents are also encouraged to take photographs of any bird in question. To report mosquito problems or stagnant pools of water, call the Department of Public Works' Vector Control Division at 631-852-4270. For further information on the West Nile virus, visit the Department of Health Services' website.