An El Paso-area woman has become the second person in the West Texas city's area this year to die of West Nile virus.
City health officials say the woman was the fourth person in the area to have contracted the mosquito-borne virus in 2015.
Fifteen cases, but no deaths, were reported last year. The most severe West Nile outbreak around El Paso was in 2012, when 32 people contracted the virus and six died.
El Paso Public Health Director Robert Resendes tells the El Paso Times (http://bit.ly/1Xpk6Bs ) that while the two people who now have died this year also had other medical problems, the virus also can threaten the lives of healthy people.
While most people recover, there's no known vaccine against the virus.
- Dress in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent.
- DEET: Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent.
- Drain standing water in your yard and neighborhood: Mosquitoes can develop in any water stagnant for more than three days.
It has been recommended in the past that to avoid mosquito bites you should avoid being outdoors during Dusk and Dawn (the 4 Ds). While this is true for mosquitoes that commonly carry the West Nile virus, other types of mosquitoes that are more likely to carry Zika, dengue and chikungunya are active during the day. When outdoors, no matter what time of day, adjust your dress accordingly and wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus as your first line of defense against insect bites.
