#Mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus detected in NYC

West Nile Virus is back, according to New York City health officials.

Today, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released a statement detailing the first signs of the mosquito-borne virus appearing this season in The Bronx and on Staten Island. So far, no one has been infected.

The blood-sucking bugs become a nuisance between spring and late summer. The health department has established 106 surveillance traps throughout the five boroughs and will be “increasing” their efforts in areas of West Nile “persistent” activity, such as using pesticides to curb the adult population while also targeting infected larvae before they can mature and bite, according to a statement.

Last year, at least four New Yorkers tested positive for the disease.

West Nile virus is mild to asymptomatic for 80% of those who have it, but adults over the age of 50 are at an increased risk of severe illness due to a weakening immune system, according to the DOH. The symptoms can resemble the flu or food poisoning — high fever, body aches and gastrointestinal issues are common; more extreme symptoms, such as confusion, stiff neck, tremors, seizures and paralysis, indicate the virus has lead to a severe infection of the brain and spinal cord.

There is no known cure for the disease — only treatment for the symptoms.

Symptoms usually appear within three to 15 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito, who typically make their home near slow and standing water, such as ponds, swamps, puddles or buckets of water, and tend to bite at higher rates during dusk and dawn.

To reduce exposure, the DOH suggests using an approved insect repellent containing picaridin, DEET, lemon eucalyptus oil or products that contain the active ingredient IR3535, which is the insecticide ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate, and eliminating standing water from your property.

Now, officials added, would be a good time to clean those gutters.