There are 3,500 species of mosquitoes in the world, and hardly any of them have any interest in sucking human blood. But because it is unclear that these measures are harmless, and because the benefit only lasts for about a day, other communities choose to do nothing. Mosquitoes are annoying, but as of this writing have not presented a health hazard on Fire Island. See pesticides . The current worry is the potentially fatal West Nile disease.
Mosquitoes contract the disease from birds.
In 2000, two crows in West Babylon and Lindenhurst were found to have died of the disease. Risk reduction . State University . But FIEC cautions against over-reaction, much less panicking. Even if one is infected, the chances are only 1 in 50 of an elderly person developing symptoms, and 1 in 300 for others.