As the world warms, the mosquitoes that spread these illnesses are become more abundant.
The city’s health department reports that since the year 2000, 490 cases of West Nile virus fever—a disease carried by infected mosquitoes—have been reported in New York City. Anthony Fauci, who served as the US president’s chief medical advisor from 2021 to 2022, was one of the more well-known recent cases.
The West Nile virus, which was hitherto only sporadically observed outside of East Africa and some regions of the Middle East, is becoming more prevalent in New York and other US cities. The virus was found in more than 1,100 mosquito pools in 2023, primarily in Queens.
As of 2024, 39 states have reported incidences of West Nile fever. While severe infections can result in long-term neurological problems, 70–80% of West Nile infections are thought to be very mild or completely asymptomatic.
The emergence of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a much more severe mosquito-borne virus with a 30% reported fatality rate, is an even more alarming trend. 1938 saw the first recognition of EEE as a hazard to public health; nevertheless, in the last 20 years, outbreaks have become more frequent in the northeastern US, with instances progressively moving further north.
Despite the fact that EEE infections are luckily still uncommon, the biggest US outbreak in recent memory occurred in 2019, when 38 cases were reported.
