Mosquito Alert in Central New York: Why Your Health Is at Risk

Mosquitos in New York are capable of transmitting several life threatening diseases - and there's more of these nasty bloodsuckers than ever before this year.

No, you're not imagining it. New York is dealing with an insane amount of bugs this year, from an active moth outbreak to biblical swarms of black flies.

It's mostly due to the warmer-than-average and wetter-than-average winter that allowed these bugs to continually breed, even during the coldest months.

However, when it comes to mosquitoes, it seems like no one can escape them this year. They ignore bug spray, citronella candles, and almost every bug deterrent in the book. This is leading to more people dealing with uncomfortably, itchy bite marks - and that has local health officials a little concerned.

Although annoying, mosquitoes can carry an array of life-threatening illnesses such as West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and -most recently in New York - dengue.

To help residents combat these pesky bugs, the Oneida County Health Department issued a health alert to prevent further spread of these illnesses.

Read More: Rapid Spread of COVID-19 Reported in Central New York

The news release outlines a few ways one can keep mosquito bites at bay - such as covering one's skin to emptying out all standing water to cull their breeding grounds. These insects are known to lay their eggs in standing water, such as bird baths, old tires, clogged gutters and more.

Speaking of the latter, the Oneida County Health Department is offering residents ways to really stop breeding mosquitoes in their tracks - larvicide.

Oneida County Health Department has Mosquito Beater® water soluble pouches, available for Oneida County residents. These pouches help reduce mosquitoes near your home by treating standing water.

Those interested can pick up a pouch at the fourth floor of the Adirondack Bank Building at 185 Genesee Street in Utica between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET. You can also click HERE for more information.

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