NEW DORP BEACH — Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus have been found in New Dorp Beach, where residents have complained about insect infestations following Hurricane Sandy, the Health Department said on Tuesday.
The infected mosquitoes were recently found in Miller Field, near New Dorp Lane, according to the Health Department.
Residents in the area said that because of the large amount of standing water in the area, it's impossible to go outside in the early morning or evening without getting bitten.
“In the evening it’s almost unbearable,” said Bob Jakob, 67, a retired EMT who’s lived in the neighborhood for 60 years. “I don’t even go out anymore.”
So far, the Health Department has scheduled spraying in other areas on Staten Island, but not in New Dorp Beach and South Beach, where residents said there are more mosquitoes than in any year they've ever seen.
After they find mosquitoes with the virus, the Health Department sets up traps and increases surveillance of the area, but they will not spray until they find a significant threat of West Nile being transferred to humans, according to the department's mosquito control plan.
The neighborhood was not on the most recent list of areas to be sprayed. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding whether spraying would take place.
Mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus were found earlier this summer in the Pomonok neighborhood of Queens and in Huguenot Beach on Staten Island.
Not every person who gets infected with the virus becomes ill, but it can cause flu-like symptoms including fever, headaches and fatigue, the Health Department said.
