Nassau to expand ground spraying for mosquitoes

Nassau County's health department and its department of public works will expand ground spraying next week to help control mosquitoes that may be carrying the West Nile virus.

Officials said Friday areas to be sprayed by truck include sections of Plandome, Plandome Manor, Plandome Heights, Manhasset, Munsey Park, Flower Hill, Port Washington and Sands Point.

The planned schedule is Aug. 10, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Alternate dates are Aug. 11, Aug. 12 or Aug. 16, also 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Officials said the trucks will spray the pesticide Scourge, which contains resmethrin and piperonyl butoxide. Health risks from Scourge are low, health officials said, but advised pregnant women and children to remain inside during the spraying period and for 30 minutes afterward.

As of this week, 49 mosquito pools in Nassau have tested positive for the virus, compared with 20 sites at this date in 2008, county officials said.

In Suffolk, county health officials announced Friday that 38 additional mosquito samples sent to their laboratory have tested positive for West Nile virus - bringing to 76 the total number of mosquito samples around the county that have tested positive for the virus so far this year. The latest samples were collected between July 27 and 29 in Farmingville, East Setauket, Selden, Holtsville Dix Hills, Huntington Station, Greenlawn, South Huntington, Melville, Deer Park, West Babylon, Lindenhurst, Bay Shore, Ronkonkoma, West Islip, Heckscher State Park, Southold, Nesconset and Blydenburgh County Park.

Late last month, Nassau identified what it said was the first human case statewide, a New Hyde Park woman, 66, whose symptoms appeared July 5. State confirmation on that case and a suspected Suffolk case involving a man, 72, from the Town of Huntington is pending.

In addtion, health officials have confirmed three human cases of West Nile virus in New York City this season.