West Nile Virus Detected at the Carrington Tract and Watch Hill 9/9/24

Date:
September 26, 2024
Contact:Fire Island National Seashore

Patchogue, NY - Traps at the Carrington Tract and Watch Hill at Fire Island National Seashore continue to detect West Nile Virus (WNV) in mosquito samples. The latest positive WNV samples were taken at the Carrington Tract on September 9^th, and at Watch Hill on September 16^th. This is the fourth and sixth WNV detection at these sites this year.

The Carrington tract is a federal tract of land between Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove. Watch Hill is a federal tract of land between Davis Park and the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness area. Traps are set by the seashore as part of the mosquito management program; a collaborative effort between the National Park Service and Suffolk County Department of Health Services - Arthropod-Borne Disease Laboratory. The mosquito monitoring program helps the park assess risk levels and select actions for public safety.

Due to multiple positive detections of WNV from pools of mosquitoes, the National Park Service, after consultation with Suffolk County Department of Health Services and Suffolk County Vector Control, will continue its weekly surveillance program to monitor the severity and extent of WNV within the boundaries of the seashore. Consistent with the seashore's mosquito monitoring protocols, increased surveillance will continue at the Carrington Tract and Watch Hill, where WNV was detected.

The National Park Service works closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Suffolk County Department of Health Services - Arthropod-Borne Disease Laboratory, Suffolk County Vector Control, and local Fire Island and Long Island municipalities to determine the best course of action to protect residents, visitors, and employees of the Seashore.

The WNV level at the park is the at the highest level since the National Park Service began monitoring under the current protocol in 2001. WNV is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Visitors need to take precautions to reduce exposure to the virus by foregoing outdoor activities between dusk and dawn and avoiding areas with mosquitoes. We also suggest that vulnerable age populations over the age of 60 or those with impaired medical conditions leave the park as it approaches dusk and not engage in outdoor activities between dusk to dawn to reduce risk. If contact with mosquitoes is unavoidable, it is advisable to wear protective clothing (long sleeved shirts, socks, and long pants) and use effective insect repellent, such as one containing at least 30% DEET.

WNV was first confirmed in New York State in 1999. For general information on West Nile Virus, please contact your local health department or the CDC, New York State, or Suffolk County WNV websites. If you have information or questions for the park, please  e-mail us.

Please continue to check our website for any updates on WNV at Fire Island National Seashore at nps.gov/fiis.

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