New York City is planning to spray pesticides to help prevent the spread of mosquitoes, and potential diseases.
The announcement comes days after Dr Anthony Fauci, former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director and the government’s top infectious disease official during the pandemic, was hospitalized with West Nile virus.
Dr Fauci, 83, spent around a week in the hospital after developing fever, chills, and severe fatigue. He believes he contracted West Nile in the backyard of his Washington DC home, and is expected to make a full recovery, CBS News’ chief medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook tweeted on Saturday.
In New York City, the first cases of West Nile virus were reported a week ago in Queens and Manhattan. Four people were diagnosed and three hospitalized.
West Nile virus isn’t the only mosquito-borne illness New Yorkers have to worry about.
Last Wednesday, several areas of Massachusetts were placed under voluntary curfew after one elderly man contracted the dangerous and often-fatal Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus, and was hospitalized.
One case has been found in both Vermont and New Jersey, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
