Riverhead Resident Diagnosed with West Nile Virus

A Town of Riverhead resident is among two patients diagnosed in September with contracting West Nile virus as cases in Suffolk County doubled from two to four, health officials announced October 3.

The Riverhead resident and another patient from the Town of Brookhaven were both older than the age of 50 and have recovered without hospitalization, officials said. Two prior cases of the mosquito-borne virus were reported in Southampton and Huntington in August.

“The symptoms of West Nile virus may look like other conditions or health problems, which is why we advise residents who experience symptoms to see a healthcare provider” said Suffolk County Commissioner of Health Services Dr. Gregson Pigott, who noted that a lab test is needed to confirm the diagnosis.

Nine people have died of West Nile virus in Suffolk since 2000, including two in 2017 and three in 2010. The county reported 11 confirmed non-fatal cases last year, eight in 2021, five in 2020, three in 2019, and 11 in 2018.

Adults older than 50 and people with compromised immune systems are at the highest risk for developing a severe infection. Only about 20% of people who are infected develop clinically noticeable symptoms, health officials said. Mild symptoms can include a fever, headache, and swollen glands, while severe symptoms include a stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.

Residents are urged to use insect repellent, wear long clothes, avoid going outside from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are most active, and remove standing water from yards where the insects’ larvae grow. Nearly 100 mosquito samples have tested positive for the virus, including in Riverhead, East Hampton, Shelter Island, Hampton Bays and Aquebogue.

Mosquito season ends November 1.