Denton County Public Health announced on Tuesday the first human case of West Nile virus in the county this year.
In May, Tarrant County Public Health announced that a mosquito sample had tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV) in Arlington, as reported by The Dallas Express. At the beginning of July, a 67-year-old Parker County man died after contracting WNV.
WNV can cause two types of illness in humans: West Nile fever and West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND).
Dallas County Public Health said an unnamed Sanger resident has been diagnosed with WNND.
West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States, per the CDC. It most commonly spreads to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. There are no vaccines to prevent or medicine to treat West Nile virus. Only about 20% of humans infected with the virus experience symptoms, which may include fever, headache, rash, and diarrhea. However, for some persons, the virus can cause severe illness.
“We’re seeing more positive mosquito traps in the last few weeks indicating increasing risk for contracting West Nile Virus, just as we’ve seen in our first human case of the summer,” stated Juan Rodriguez, Denton County Public Health assistant director and chief epidemiologist, in a press release. “We ask community members to take preventive actions to lower their risk of contracting a mosquito-borne illness.”
Denton County Public Health advises residents to take the following steps to protect themselves:
- Drain standing water to minimize mosquito breeding sites such as bird baths, flowerpots, and clogged rain gutters.
- Consider the use of B.T.I. briquettes, often called mosquito dunks, in standing water that cannot be eliminated.
- Dress in long sleeves and pants when outside and spray thin clothing with repellent.
- Use EPA-registered mosquito repellent. Check for ingredients like DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.
For additional information, including mosquito maps, the latest news, and facts about WNV, visit the Denton County Public Health website by clicking here. To keep track of the confirmed positive samples in Dallas County, visit DCHHS’s interactive map.