Which neighborhoods are being treated to stop the West Nile virus – NBC New York

As part of New York City's ongoing efforts to contain the spread of West Nile virus, additional neighborhoods across the five boroughs are being sprayed with mosquito killers to reduce mosquito numbers.

As happened earlier this week, trucks will enter residential areas during the night hours of the first week of September to treat areas where mosquitoes may be breeding, the city's Health and Hygiene Department said on Wednesday.

Starting the evening of September 3, city trucks will spray pesticides in parts of Queens. Spraying will begin around 8:30 p.m. and continue until 6:00 a.m. the next morning. If it rains that night, spraying will be done the following night, September 4.

Spraying will take place in parts of the following districts:

• Brookville
• Cambria Heights
• Laurelton
• Rochdale
• Rosedale
• South Jamaica
• Springfield Gardens
• St Albans

On September 5, the trucks will return to Manhattan, but this time on the other side of the island. Spraying will take place below 30th Street, including Lower Manhattan, Greenwich Village, the Lower East Side, and other areas. The trucks will be on site between 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Friday morning.

According to DOH, these are the neighborhoods that will be affected.

• Archery
• Chinatown
• Community Center
• East Village
• Financial District
• The Gramercy Park
• Greenwich Village
• Kip's Bay
• Little Italy
• Lower East Side
• No Ho
• SoHo
• Tribeca
• Two bridges
• Union Square
• West Village

When used properly, the pesticides used must not pose a significant risk to the health of humans or domestic animals.

The New York City Health Department has sent staff to 50 locations each day to catch and test mosquitoes and found that the number of mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus increased overall in all five boroughs during the summer of 2024.

“We are focusing on areas where there is a high risk of disease transmission. Diseases spread if left untreated,” said Dr. Waheed Bajwa, the health ministry's executive director of vector surveillance. “Recent data shows that if we don't spray, there can be transmission to humans.”

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Mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been detected throughout New York City. Although the virus is relatively rare, it raised concerns after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former top U.S. infectious disease expert, was hospitalized after contracting the mosquito-borne illness.

The New York City Health Department also announced last week that it had first detected West Nile virus in New Yorkers in 2024.

According to NYCDOH, a total of six cases have been confirmed. Four people have tested positive for West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease, three in Queens and one in Manhattan. One person in Queens contracted West Nile Fever and the virus has been detected in three blood donors from Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. It is unclear when the data was last updated.

Here is a list of where the virus has been detected in mosquitoes in New York City neighborhoods as of August 23:

Search for your neighborhood here:

The West Nile virus was first reported in the United States in New York in 1999. It gradually spread throughout the country. In 2003, there were almost 10,000 cases.

The places where mosquitoes have been spotted recently have one thing in common: stagnant water where mosquitoes breed. Continued testing has prompted health authorities to target specific areas.

The rise in West Nile cases is not just a problem in New York City, but across the country. In New Jersey, the state Department of Health said cases began to appear earlier in the season than expected and will likely continue through October.