Mosquito samples in Cedar Hill, Dallas, Highland Park, Mesquite and University Park have tested positive for West Nile this year, leading to sporadic spraying.
No other information about the first human case was released for medical confidentiality and personal privacy reasons, the DCHHS said. The best way to avoid exposure to mosquito-borne diseases is to avoid mosquito bites by practicing the Four Ds, Huang said.
For more information about spraying and to find whether your neighborhood has been sprayed, you can visit the DCHHS website here.
How to Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites
Dress in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent.
The virus was first reported in the U.S. in 1999 and it was first known to have arrived in Dallas County in 2002. Dallas County reported its most severe years of the virus in 2012, when aerial spraying was done to kill mosquitoes and combat the spread of the virus, and then in 2016 and 2020.
In 2020, Dallas County reported a significant increase in WNV disease prevalence with 20 human cases, five fatalities and 498 positive mosquito tests. In the previous high years, there were 274 positive tests and 398 human cases in 2012; 705 positive tests, and 61 human cases in 2016. Even though we still need to be concentrating on how to live safely with COVID-19, we cannot forget about West Nile virus. As the summer heats up and more people are getting outside, remember the four D s: Dress, Drain, Dusk/Dawn, and DEET, said Dr. Philip Huang, Director of DCHHS.
“It goes all the way until November and now that everybody wants to be out, take precautions,” Price said.
John Wiley Price heads the Dallas County Public Health Advisory Committee which received details from the County Health Department Thursday on the 2020 West Nile Virus season.
Around the same time last year, parks were closed, streets were empty and people were not out as much because of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
So residents were less likely to come in contact with West Nile Virus, which was very much present in North Texas mosquitoes according to the test results.
The 485 positive West Nile Virus mosquito traps in 2020 in Dallas County were second only to 664 reported in 2016 since the year 2012 which was the most deadly West Nile Virus season for people in Dallas County.