Central Park and Other Areas in Boro Sprayed in Fight Against West Nile Virus

In an effort to lessen the spread of West Nile Virus, which is transmitted via mosquitos, the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene began spraying pesticides throughout Central Park on Monday, Aug. 26.

The trucks sprayed “very low concentrations of Anvil 10+10, Duet or MERUS 3” between 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 26 and 6 a.m. on Aug. 27. The pesticides pose little risk to humans or animals, though a rash and short-term eye or throat irritation may be possible for those sensitive to spray ingredients.

“The Health Department is actively working to prevent West Nile through public education, treating marshy areas and spraying for mosquitoes,” Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said in a statement.

Four cases of West Nile Virus were reported by the Health Department as of Aug. 19, with detections in mosquito pools in all of New York City’s boroughs. According to a press release, areas sprayed include parts of Carnegie Hill, Central Park, East Harlem, Fort George, Hamilton Heights, Harlem, Inwood, Lenox Hill, Lincoln Square, Manhattan Village, Manhattanville, Morningside Heights, Sherman Creek, Sugar Hill, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Washington Heights, and Yorkville.

But as Council member Gale Brewer learned recently, the Health Dept. is not set up to deal with individual requests for spraying.

In her weekly newsletter, UWS City Council member Gale Brewer noted that a constituent asked if they could request a mosquito spray in their neighborhood; “I asked the Dept. of Health, and was told that their process is more scientific, and they do not accept requests for spraying, he said. The Health Dept stated, according to Brewer: “Our spraying is scheduled and based on our daily trapping and testing of mosquitos. Constituents need to understand that when we spray for mosquitos, we are introducing a pesticide into the environment, and we need to provide justification to the State Dept. of Environmental Conservation to do so. That justification is: a high number of mosquitos and confirmed presence of disease in those mosquitos. If those parameters are not met, we cannot spray. We continue to test daily and if thresholds are met, we will move forward to schedule a spray operation...”

The Health Department shared that while West-Nile-infected mosquitoes are typically in New York City from May through October, “peak activity” is throughout August and September.

Those infected with West Nile Disease tend to remain symptom-free, though the Health Department shared that “some may develop fever, headache, muscle aches, rash and extreme fatigue.” One in 150 individuals—with a skew toward those 60 or older and those with weakened immune systems—could potentially develop West Nile neuroinvasive disease, “a serious and potentially fatal illness of the brain and spinal cord.”

One of the more famous people to be hospitalized after contacting the virus is Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former Regis High School graduate who went on to become the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022, and the chief medical advisor to the president from 2021 to 2022. Fauci is recovering at home after being hospitalized for West Nile virus . According to NPR,“He was likely infected from a mosquito bite that he got in his backyard. ‘Dr. Fauci was hospitalized about ten days ago after developing fever, chills, and severe fatigue,’ a post on X [formerly Twitter] said. It said Fauci spent a week in the hospital... There are no vaccines to prevent West Nile, or medicines to treat it...”

Beyond the adulticide treatment, there are several ways individuals can lower their chances of becoming infected.

“We all have a role to play to protect ourselves and each other. Using an EPA-registered insect repellent is one very important tool, especially when outside at dusk and dawn, when the types of mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus are most active,” Vasan said in the statement. “You can also stop mosquitoes from laying eggs and reproducing in the water by emptying outdoor containers that hold water or calling 311 if you see standing water that you cannot empty.”