Aerial Spraying starts for West Nile

NEW YORK (AP) - Health officials are escalating the battle against the West
Nile virus with a one-two punch of ground spraying and the season's first
aerial spraying.

``It behooves us to really knock down the mosquito population,'' city Health
Commissioner Neal Cohen said, noting that last year, most of the seven
victims who died were infected in August.

``The next two weeks up until Labor Day will certainly be very critical for
transmission,'' Cohen said.

After another round of ground spraying on Wednesday evening, the first aerial
assault, with the pesticide Anvil, is scheduled for Thursday night on Staten
Island and in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn.