Denton County Public Health has reported the first human case of West Nile virus in the county this year. The unidentified resident was diagnosed with the more severe neuroinvasive form of the virus.
DCPH said the resident lives in the northwest quadrant of unincorporated Denton County but would not release further personal information.
“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 season,” Juan Rodriguez, DCPH assistant director and chief epidemiologist, said in a news release. “We ask community members to take preventive actions to lower their risk of contracting a mosquito-borne illness.”
Humans can contract the virus through the bite of a mosquito that has fed on an infected bird, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms of the neuroinvasive form of the virus, which can be fatal, include fever, headaches, muscle and joint pain, nausea, drowsiness, stiff neck, vision problems, body tremors, mental confusion, memory loss and seizures.
There is no vaccine to prevent or medications to treat West Nile virus. So, preventing mosquito bites is imperative.
DCPH advises residents to take the following steps to minimize risk of contracting the virus:
Drain standing water to minimize mosquito breeding sites such as bird baths, flower pots and clogged rain gutters. Consider the use of Bti 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 an insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
Denton County Public Health’s West Nile virus website, DentonCounty.gov/WNV, has information including mosquito maps and the latest news.