NY1 VIDEO: As NY1 revisits its 20-year history, the station looks back at reporter Jay Dow's September 12, 1999 coverage as the city began targeted mosquito spraying in all five boroughs after a handful of cases of viral encephalitis were discovered in local hospitals.

NY1 FOLLOW-UP: According to the Centers for Disease Control, 17 cases of viral encephalitis were ultimately confirmed in the NYC area in 1999. Four people died from the disease. All were over 68 years old. Since the outbreak, the city's health department sprays for mosquitos each summer in order to prevent the spread of the West Nile Virus.