Colder Nights Can Help Prevent West Nile Virus Attacks

Cool overnight temperatures and August and the lack of hot, dry days in Suffolk County meant that West Nile virus has not developed, according to News Day.

"It's not our best and it's not our worst year but it is somewhere in between," said Scott Campbell, chief of the county health department's arthropod-borne disease laboratory.

This does not mean that the virus is no longer a threat. "The risk still exists as humans have contacted the virus in September," Campbell said.

As of Friday, the county reported a total of 126 positive West Nile mosquito samples, with the virus widespread throughout the county.

"Last year, at that time, there were 201 positive samples. In 2011 there were 73 and in 2010 there were 256," said Campbell.

"This year's rainy spring translated into tremendous numbers of mosquitoes in June and into July in Suffolk's traps - thousands instead of the regular hundreds -- he said, leading to the likely West Nile carriers being culled out for testing and the rest frozen for future processing.

"Still, that could change should warmer weather develop", he said.

"It's not until nighttime temperatures drop routinely into the 50s and leaves begin falling that mosquitoes start hibernating and dying off," he lamented.