Manhattan to be sprayed with pesticides to fight West Nile virus

• Tweet
• 
• 

• Tweet

One of New York’s most expensive neighborhoods will be sprayed this week with pesticide to combat the West Nile virus, officials said Tuesday.

The city regularly sprays against the mosquito-borne disease, which has seen a surge in outbreaks in the United States this year. Friday’s spraying is notable because it will target Manhattan’s prestigious Upper West Side neighborhood and parts of the famed Central Park.

“These neighborhoods are being treated due to rising West Nile virus activity with high and/or increasing mosquito populations,” the Department of Health said in a statement.

The department said trucks would spray “a very low concentration” of pesticide and that “when properly used, this product poses no significant risks to human health.”

However, it also urged people to stay indoors during the spraying and to remove clothes and children’s toys from outside.

At least 41 people have died in the United States from the disease this summer, health officials said. A total of 1,118 cases have been identified across the country.

[Central Park and Manhattan skyline, New York City via Shutterstock.com.]