Pesticide to be Sprayed at Alley Pond Park

The Department of Health will be giving the area a good dousing of pesticide to combat the spread of West Nile-carrying mosquitoes.

Alley Pond Park, Linden Hill/College Point, Edgemere and Somerville will all be sprayed Monday through Wednesday, between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.

On Monday, the DOH confirmed the season's first human case of West Nile Virus, a 64-year-old Manhattan woman who was hospitalized after developing an infection in her brain.

Of the 240 New Yorkers diagnosed with the disease since it was first identified in 1999, 96 cases have been in Queens, the Village Voice reports.

Unlike the non-chemical larvicide used in the area earlier this summer, the DOH will now resort to a pesticide, which does contain chemicals. When used properly, the DOH said the pesticide poses no health threat to humans. Nevertheless, residents are urged to take the following precautions:

• Keep indoors during spraying. Especially if you have asthma or other respiratory conditions.

• If you want to keep your air conditioner on, set the vent to its closed position, or select its re-circulate function.

• Remove outdoor doors and furniture, or wipe them down with soapy water before use after spraying.

• Wash your skin and clothing if its exposed to pesticides with soap.

• Always wash produce with water before ingesting or cooking.