The Texas Department of State Health Services laboratory has confirmed that a pool of mosquitoes from Wichita Falls has tested positive for West Nile Virus, according to a city media release.
The mosquitoes were collected from traps put in the city as part of the Wichita Falls-Wichita County Public Health District’s routine mosquito surveillance program.
The mosquito pool testing positive was collected in Southwest Wichita Falls, but residents are urged to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites, no matter where they are.
They can visit an interactive mosquito map online at health.wichitafalls.gov for information on which areas have been sprayed and where positive pools are located. Additionally, the city will update the website with positive WNV mosquito pools as they come in.
West Nile Virus can be transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, but you can reduce their risk of being infected by following these precautions:
The Health District’s Environmental Health Division will continue its integrated pest management program for mosquito control.
This includes continuing to test mosquitoes for West Nile Virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, treating standing water, eliminating breeding areas and spraying for adult mosquitoes when weather conditions are favorable.
Only some mosquito species that are present in Wichita County have the capability of spreading diseases such as West Nile Virus. Most are considered a nuisance.
At this time, the Wichita Falls-Wichita County Public Health District has not received any reports of a positive human case of West Nile Virus this season. Even so, if you experience flu-like symptoms following a mosquito bite, please contact your healthcare provider.
Report mosquito concerns through the health district’s online service request system: survey123.arcgis.com/share/71ef45d1cdbc49ba99b0ca34ff67184f.
For more information about the Health District’s mosquito abatement program, visit: https://tx-wichitafalls3.civicplus.com/375/Vector-Mosquito-Control.
For questions about West Nile Virus, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: West Nile virus found in Wichita Falls mosquitoes
Reporting by Staff reports, Wichita Falls Times Record News / Wichita Falls Times Record News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Staff reports, Wichita Falls Times Record News | USA TODAY Network
