The results of new blood tests released last night by the city Health Department show that a 73-year old Staten Island woman contracted West Nile virus recently.
Until yesterday, health officials weren’t sure when the woman, whose name was not released, had contracted the mosquito-borne disease.
But the latest test indicates the disease is still a threat in the city.
Meanwhile, a political slugfest broke out last night over the city’s plans to begin limited pesticide ground spraying tonight around the northern Staten Island neighborhood where the woman is believed to have been infected.
City Councilwoman Kathryn Freed (D-Manhattan) blasted Mayor Giuliani yesterday, saying she’s “outraged” about the planned spraying and is urging officials to explore alternatives like larvacide or increased warnings to the public.
“What is this?” Freed told The Post. “They don’t give us a choice. I honestly think this spraying was initially driven when the mayor was running for Senate and he wanted to be this white knight that came riding in with bells and whistles.”
Freed acknowledged she’s “not a scientist” and doesn’t know all that much about larvacide, a pellet that’s non-toxic to humans and is dropped in ponds, streams and catch basins to kill mosquitos. But she still remains highly skeptical of the pesticide Anvil.
“When they sprayed us with malathion, they said it was safe at the time, too,” she said.
The mayor’s office quickly fired back.
“The city has always given ample warning before spraying,” said spokesman Sid Dinsay. “It’s disgraceful of her to use this as a political issue when lives are at stake.”
“The city’s approach to tackling West Nile has been applauded in scientific journals,” Dinsay noted.
Freed is running for public advocate next month.
City Health Department spokesman Greg Butler said larvacide is, in fact, a part of the city’s rapid response program in battling the virus.
Earlier this month, Freed’s office unearthed an internal police department memo circulated in May that warns cops to stay clear of insecticide-spraying trucks once they start rolling.
The memo embarrassed the administration because Mayor Giuliani has been quoted as saying that Anvil and the insecticide Scourge are each safe “unless you suck them through a straw.”