Few things can slow down New York City's frenetic pace.
So when an outdoor concert is canceled, Central Park is closed and half of Staten Island is blasted with pesticides, people pay attention. Last August, West Nile virus surfaced for the first time in North America, causing seven deaths and sixty-two additional infections in the New York area. Mosquitoes generally contract the virus by feeding on infected birds, and then pass on West Nile virus when biting animals or humans for blood. During morning rush hour on June 29, Red Cross workers and volunteers traveled to several popular Long Island Railroad Stations to give the oversized bookmark to about 30,000 New Yorkers as they waited for their trains into Manhattan. Devera Lynn, director of public relations for the Nassau County chapter, was thrilled at the warm reception she and her colleagues got from the commuters.