Addabbo Urges City to Spray Howard Beach and Hamilton Beach With Treatment to Combat Mosquitoes

Howard Beach, NY (September 1, 2016) Amid growing concerns surrounding harmful diseases that can potentially be spread by mosquitoes, Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. is continuing to urge the city to spray parts of his district with treatments to manage the bugs.

Two communities in Addabbo’s district – Howard Beach and Hamilton Beach – are surrounded by bays, canals and marshland where mosquitoes gather, causing them to be present in many residential parts of these two neighborhoods as well. The Senator has requested multiple times over the last several months that the Health Department spray pesticide treatments to combat the mosquito populations in these parts of southern Queens and he intends to continue his demand until the spraying occurs.

“In many parts of my district, homes are surrounded by water and undeveloped parkland that serves as the optimal breeding ground for mosquitoes,” Addabbo said. “The mosquito infestation in certain sections of Howard Beach and Hamilton Beach is so severe that residents sometimes cannot even leave their homes without being met by a swarm of bugs. These insects could possibly be carriers of serious, even potentially deadly, viruses such as Zika and West Nile, yet despite the several requests I have made to have treatments sprayed in my district, these two communities are still waiting for the relief they desperately need.”

Throughout the summer, Addabbo has been in contact with the city Department of Health and has made multiple written requests to have mosquito treatments carried out in Howard Beach and Hamilton Beach. In early August, after being told these two neighborhoods do not qualify for city treatments and that Gateway National Park was responsible for spraying this area, the Senator sent another letter to the Health Department to continue his push to bring treatments to southern Queens.

“We should never let bureaucracy stand in the way of public safety,” said Addabbo. “The city has sprayed mosquito pesticides in Howard Beach and Hamilton Beach in the past, and these residents deserve to have it done again now in order to prevent a potential serious public health crisis. It is important to act before someone is seriously harmed by a diagnosis that could have been prevented. I strongly urge the city to reconsider and to provide my district with the proper treatments to prevent against mosquitoes.”